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History of Australia
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Dutch Arrives
The first Europeans to arrive in Australia were the Dutch. They made one landing, were attacked by Aborigines, and then abandoned further exploration. -
European Exploration: British
-Captain James Cook sailed around Australia
-Cook named the area New South Wales
-Ignored the Aborigines living there & claimed the land for England
-Sailors also mapped the eastern coast of Australia & Tasmania -
A Prison Colony
-Since the American Revolution forced the British to stop sending prisoners to Georgia (the penal colony), they had to find another place to send the prisoners
-Australia seemed like a good choice beacause there was no chance of escape, no colonies around it, and very few indigenous people lived there
-British ships called the “First Fleet” left England with convicts to establish a prison colony -
A New Settlement
-British prisoners settled in Australia
-1788 to 1832: New South Wales was officially a penal (prison) colony consisting mainly of convicts, marines (guards), and the marines’ families -
Port Arthur, Tasmania
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.
Some tales suggest that prisoners committed murder (an offence punishable by death) just to escape the desolation of life at the camp.
The Island of the Dead was the destination for all who died inside th -
Settled At Last
-British transported prisoners to Australia until 1868
-By this time, many free immigrants were settling there
-They built businesses, trading posts, farms, etc. -
Immigration Retriction Act
Originally, Australia promoted a policy called “White Australia”
They would not allow non-Caucasians to immigrate to Australia.
Immigration Restriction Act of 1901: restricted migration to people primarily of European descent
This was dismantled after the Second World War.
Today, Australia has a global, non-discriminatory policy and is home to people from more than 200 countries! -
Commonwealth of Australia
It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change Australia's status, from a commonwealth headed by the British monarch to an independent republic, was defeated -
Aborigines
Aborigines are the original people from Australia
federal government began to pass legislation to help the Aborigines
It was widely seen as affirmation of the Australian people’s wish to see its government take direct action to improve the living conditions of Aborigines
In March, striking Aboriginal farmers changed political history by extending a demand for equal wages to a declaration of their rights of ownership of traditional lands.
This became one of Australia’s first successful land clai -
Australia Today
1986: Australia Act -- all legal ties with the British Empire were severed
Today, Australia is a parliamentary democracy (constitutional monarchy) with Elizabeth II as queen
1999: 55% of voters rejected the idea of becoming an independent republic.
