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The Dutch were the first Europeans to sail to Australia. The Dutch made one landing, were attacked by Aborigines, and then abandoned further exploration.
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Captain James Cook sailed around Australia. Cook named the area New South Wales and ignored the Aborigines living there & claimed
the land for England. -
British ships called the “First Fleet” left England with convicts to establish a prison colony.
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British prisoners settled in Australia.
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New South Wales was officially a penal colony consisting mainly of convicts, marines, and the marines’ families
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Port Arthur, Tasmania, 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.
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government officials created boundaries for the colonies that are still in place today
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the Commonwealth of Australia was established.
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Originally, Australia promoted a policy called “White
Australia” They would not allow non-Caucasians to immigrate to Australia. That has since changed… -
Melbourne served as the national capital until Canberra was completed in.
