Prior to European arrival in the vicinity, Aborigines had lived in what is now classified as Tasmania for thousands of years. In south west Tasmania for example, the Kutikina Cave and other sites nearby highlight the fact that Aboriginal occupation of the land goes back 15,000 to 20,000 years. They were hunter-gatherer nomads, who survived on a diet of wallaby, bird eggs and kangaroo amongst other 'delicacies', eaten either raw or semi-cooked.

Their weapons included spears, snares and waddies, and they also crafted canoe-rafts which transported them across the water to other smaller islands where they searched for food. At the time of European arrival it is estimated that there were somewhere between four and six thousand such Aborigines on the island. The arrival of white man was to mark a considerable change in fortune for the indigenous people. There was severe tension between the two groups, and the Aborigines were generally outnumbered and outgunned. The numbers of aborigines decreased significantly as a result of the ensuing battles.

At the same time, the arrival of the Europeans saw the introduction of diseases which previously had not existed amongst the Aboriginal communities, and to which they had no natural immunity.In the late 1820s, George Augustus Robinson was appointed by the then Governor, George Arthur, to deal with such Aboriginal matters. He set about trying to convince the remaining Aborigines to give themselves up to him. They were subsequently taken to Flinders Island, and were for the most part quite sickly.

In 1876, full blooded Tasmanian Aboriginals ceased to exist, with the death of Truganini.

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