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1606
First Europeans to sail to Australia were the Dutch (Netherlands) in 1606, but they didn’t settle there. -
Australia
In 1770, Captain James Cook sailed around Australia.
Cook named the area “New South Wales”. -
Australia
In 1787, British ships called the “First Fleet” left England with convicts to establish a prison colony. -
Australia
From 1788 to 1832, New South Wales was officially a penal (prison) colony consisting mainly of convicts, marines (guards), and the marines’ families.
Only 20% of the first convicts were women -
Australia
In the 1830s, remnants of the tribes in the settled areas were moved onto reserves.
They were forbidden from teaching their children their own language and customs. -
Australia
From 1833 until the 1850s, it was the destination for the hardest of convicted British and Irish criminals--those who were secondary offenders having re-offended after their arrival in Australia.
In addition, Port Arthur had some of the strictest security measures of the British penal system. -
Australia
Non-prisoner colonization continued…
The major coastal settlements soon became 7 independent colonies.
In 1861, government officials created boundaries for the colonies that are still in place today. -
Australia
On January 1, 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was established. -
Australia
Melbourne served as the national capital until Canberra was completed in 1927 -
Australia
1999: 55% of voters rejected the idea of becoming an independent republic.
