Gold brought a large population to the Southern Tablelands in the latter half of the 19th century. Many nationalities and cultures were represented in this mass of humanity and many brought with them their favourite food plants. When the gold dried up most of the diggers moved on and the many gardens and orchards went fallow. However, some of the plants they grew continued to prosper. As a result the local environment has a large amount of forgeable food plants, both exotic and native.