Significant Events That Led To The Establishment Of The Britain Colonisation By ChloTheWriter2 1604 Enclosure acts begin in Britain 1760 Industrial Revolution begun and steam powered machinery was invented. 1775 Convicts stopped beings sent overseas to America 1785 House of Commons decided NSW was suitable as a penal colony 1786 Captain Arther Philip was chosen to lead the First Fleet 1787 The First Fleet left on the 13th of May 1788 Auther Philip was Governor of the colony 1790 Two more fleets arrived 1793 First free colonists arrived 1800 Huge growth in population, poverty and crime 1810 Governor Lachlan Maquarie arrived. Construction of roads and buildings began 1911 Australia wholly divided into six colonies