Slow catastrophes: Drought resilience amongst farmers and agricultural communites in south eastern Australia, 1880s-2000s

Drought is a profound shaper of Australian rural society. Drought's persistence has ensured that people have, over time, found ways to adapt and survive. How have they done this? Research has begun to explore this question but it has not yet been answered. This historical study explores social issues which contribute to drought resilience in rural Australia,1880s-2000s. This is a new approach as it focuses on the role of human-environment relationships in drought response and applies understandings of recent natural disaster resilience to drought experience in Australian history. Understanding the way people survive drought in the past will contribute to developing strategies for coping with drought and climate variability in the future.