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The Dutch were the the first Europeans to sail to Australia. Although, they did not settle there.
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Captain James Cook sailed around Australia and named the area New South Wales, then claimed it for England.
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British ships called the "First Fleet" kept British prisioners, to form a prision colony.
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British prisoners were forced to settle in Australia.
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New South Wales was officially a prision colony consisting convicts, marines, and the marines' families.
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New South Wales was declared to no longer be a penal colony.
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Port Arthur, Tasmania was the destination for the hardest of the prisioners.
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Government officials created boundaries for the colonies of Australia.
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British stopped transporting their prisioners to areas in Australia.
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The Commonwealth of Australia was established.
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Act that restricted migration from the people of European descent to Australia.
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Canberra became the official
national capital of Australia,
replacing Melbourne. -
Federal government began to pass legislation to help the Aborigines.
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All legal relations with the British were stopped.
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55% of Australian voters rejected the idea of becoming an independant republic.
