The wiser of the early European settlers and explorers used Aboriginal knowledge of the local flora and fauna to build up Western scientific knowledge of an unknown continent. And this process continues. This article briefly presents some of the many aboriginal technological inventions and refers to the uncanny ability of Aboriginal people to find their way in apparently featureless country. A recent educational survey found student teachers held negative views or stereotypes of Aboriginal people despite positive feelings about Australians as a whole. The good news is that Aboriginal studies are included as Year 12 examination subjects in some states. Future generations of student teachers may have a better image of Aboriginal people.