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The First Fleet
The first fleet was a fleet of eleven ships that sailed mainly convicts from Great Britain to Australia to establish the first European colony. England's prisons were over crowded and they needed a place to settle convicts, the fleet was led by Captain Arthur Philip. -
The Rum Rebellion
The rum rebellion was the only successful armed take over of the government in Australia's history. John MacArthur and the new south whales corps deposed the governer of New South Whales, William Bligh. -
The Gold Rush
The Gold Rush brought hundreds of migrants to Australia hoping to find gold. It started when Edward Hammond Hargraves found gold in Ballarat. Gold Rushes were happenning all over the world and this one was a major turning point in Australia's history. Although many did not find their fortune often they stayed and settled in the colonies. -
The Hanging of Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly was an Australian bushranger, hanged at the age of 26. He has been called by some a 'cold-blooded killer.' He is famous for murder and mayhem. He bailed up entire towns and robbed banks with his gang. His gang and Kelly were wanted outlaws by the victoria police. -
Women get the right to vote
In 1894 women were given the right to vote in Australia! The first state to allow this change was South Australia. This was followed by Western Australia. In 1902 the Commonwealth Franchise Act came into place giving most woment the right to vote. However voting by indigenous australians was not compulsory until 1984. -
Boer War
The second of two boer wars, this one was considerably longer it lasted from 1899 to 1902. It was a war between the british and the afrikaan speaking boers. The british fought directly against the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, defeating them in long warfare and a grueling campain. They ravaged the civilian populatiuons but also lost a high number due to illness and disease. -
Federation
Federation is a very important date in Australian history as it is when the six seperate colonies of Australia came together to form one nation. They became the Commonwealth of Australia when the constitution was introduced. -
The White Australia
Competition in the goldfields and labor disputes were some of the causes of the white Australia policy, a policy that restricts the immigration of 'non-white' people into Australia. It was dismantled in stages after the second world war and in 1975 the governement passed the racial discrimination act making it illegal. -
The Great War
The great war otherwise known as World War I lasted from July 1914 until 11 November 1918. The war began between the Great Britain and Germany. Australia got involved early in the war taking control of the German New Guinea and surrounding islands. On 25 April 1915 troops from New Zealand, Britain, Australia and France landed at Gallipoli together. -
Opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is an iconic steel through arch bridge that runs across sydney harbour. It is nicknames 'the coathanger' because of its shape. It was built in 1932 by Dorman Long and Co Ltd, it is the worlds widest long-span bridge. It took eight years to build, finally finished in 1932. Construction was almost delayed by the great depression. -
Phar Lap
Phar Lap was an extremely famous thorough-bred racehorse. He won a Melbourne Cup, two Cox Plates and 19 other races. He was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia. Phar Lap mysteriously died in 1932. No one knows how he died and it remains a mystery. -
The Great Depression
The great depression was a world-wide economic collapse that spread and had an affect over virtually all countries, affecting a great deal of people. Most poeple attribute the start of the great depression to when the US stock marcket suddenly collapsed in october of 1929, the great depression lasted until about 1932. Australia depended extremely on exports, meaning it was was one of the worst hit countries in the world. -
Black Friday Bushfires
The Black Friday Bushfires are considered one of the worst ntural bushfires in the world. Almont 20 000 square kilometres of land were burnt, 71 people died and whole towns were destroyed. It was concluded that three quarters of the state of Victoria were affected in one way or another. -
World War II
On the first of September when Germany finally invaded POland, Britain and France declared war. Germany conquered much of Europe. Australia had to make a decision to go overseas and fight or defend their home. They were assured that the japanese would not invade Australia and troops were sent to help England. Poeple suggest as many as 60 million poeple died in the second world war. -
Korean War
The korean war was between the South Koreans and the North Koreans. 1700 australians defended South Korea by army, navy and the air force, fighting as part of the United Nations. The Australians won much praise and awards from other countries for their involvment. Australian stayed in Korea as military observers, for four years after the war had finished. -
Decimal Currency in Australia
In 1966 decimal currency was introduced to Australia. The change was initiated in 1963 and thousands of names were suggested for our new form of currency. The dollar was eventually chosen. In 1988 they inrtroduced polymer notes, this change was bought about by substantial counterfieting of ten dollar notes. -
Harold Holt
Harold Holt was Australia prime minister who went mysteriously missing while swimming in Cheviot Beach, in Portsea. He is presumabely drowned although his body has never been found. He was prime minister for only 22 months. -
Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated darwin from Christmas eve to Christmas day. It is the most compact hurricane on record in the Australia basin. 71 people died with 800 million dollars worth of damage. -
Sydney Olympics
It was the only the second time that the olympics had been held in the Southern Hemisphere. It is an international multi-sport event held every 4 years. Australia won a total of 16 gold medals. -
Apology to the Stolen Generation
The stolen generation or stolen children were aboriginal or torres-strait islander children that were forcefully removed from their families by the governemtn and church missions. There was a formal apology made by Kevin Rudd to the stolen generation in 2008.
