Australian environments in war and peace: towards an environmental history of Australia at war

This paper introduces the concept of an environmental history of Australia at war, and explores the various avenues that might be investigated within this emerging, multidisciplinary theme. Specifically, this paper focuses on the environmental histories of militarised landscapes on the Australian homefront, including in particular the land and sea military training areas that form part of the Department of Defence’s three-million hectare estate, and examines how cycles of war and peace have affected these environments.