) ▁Nation , ▁of ▁the ▁B ark a ▁( aka ▁Dar ling ▁River ). ▁S qu atter ▁past oral ists ▁for ci b ly ▁dispos s essed ▁the ▁B ark and ji , ▁and ▁the ▁W ily ak ali , ▁of ▁their ▁lands , ▁dis rupt ing ▁their ▁deep ▁relationship ▁with ▁Country , ▁from ▁ca . 1 8 6 0 ▁on wards . ▁▁▁ ▁By ▁ca . 1 9 0 0 , ▁the ▁once ▁well ▁managed , ▁veget ated , ▁ind igen ous ▁fa una ▁rich ▁and ▁soil ▁stable ▁land sc apes ▁of ▁the ▁Bar rier ▁R anges ▁had ▁progress ively ▁been ▁explo ited , ▁and ▁dev ast ated , ▁by ▁past oral ▁over stock ing , ▁ex otic ▁animals ▁such ▁as ▁rabb its , ▁fo xes ▁and ▁fer al ▁go ats , ▁min ing ▁and ▁its ▁resid ues , ▁and ▁the ▁impact s ▁of ▁a ▁large ▁urban ▁settlement ▁of ▁people ▁and ▁their ▁stock . ▁Natural ▁recovery ▁from ▁these ▁det r iment al ▁impact s ▁was ▁in hib ited ▁by ▁the ▁semi - ar id ▁climate ▁which ▁consisted ▁of ▁low ▁average ▁ra inf all ▁of ▁ 2 5 0 mm ▁pr ▁an num ▁and ▁high ▁summer ▁temper atures . ▁▁ ▁As ▁early ▁as ▁ 1 9 0 8 , ▁newspaper ▁comments ▁indicated ▁that ▁the ▁sheet ▁er os ion ▁around ▁Bro ken ▁Hill ▁had ▁already ▁begun . ▁Morris ▁described ▁the ▁de grad ed ▁landscape ▁in ▁these ▁terms : ▁ ▁" The ▁extending ▁country ▁stretch ed ▁for ▁miles ▁without ▁a ▁vest ige ▁of ▁any ▁green