Colonization of Australia By Tegan S. 1606 Dutch find Australia 1770 Captain James Cook sailed around Australia 1787 The First fleet sent the first set of prisoners to Australia 1833 Tasmania was made into an official prison. 1861 Australia created colony boundaries These boundaries are still intact today. 1868 Penal colony of Australia was shut down. Jan 1, 1901 The Commonwealth of Australia was created 1927 Melbourne lost its capital status when Canberra came around 1967 Federal government started to help the Aborigines. 1986 All legal ties with Britten will be severed
