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99,999 BCE
Shell discovered in Australia
There was a 400,000 year old shell in Australia discovered. Aboriginal and Torres Strait People of Australia used shells were used as jewelry and water holders. -
Period: 65,000 BCE to
Indigenous settlement in Australia.
indigenous members of our society have been on this continent for over 60000 years. Their traditions and customs are ongoing. Recent studies prove that Indigenous people may have lived in Australia for over 80,000 years! -
Period: 65,000 BCE to
Prehistory of Australia
Before European colonization. This period is known as prehistory. Back then, there would have been approximately 750,000 Indigenous people of Australia. They are distributed as follows: New South Wales 134,888 Queensland 127,950 Western Australia 67,931 Northern Territory 60,875 Victoria 30,046 South Australia 26,544 Tasmania 17,384 Australian Capital Territory 3,909 Other regions 233 -
50,000 BCE
Dreamtime Stories
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia told Dream time stories to their descendants. Theses stories were passed on to descendants. -
50,000 BCE
Mungo Man
Mungo man is the oldest human discovered. He lived approximately fifty thousand years ago. He was about six foot tall (very tall for his period!) and he was very strong and athletic. Mungo man lived until he was about forty years of age.He was discovered in Africa. Mungo Man was discovered was discovered on the 26th of February in 1974. A few metres away is Mungo woman. -
50,000 BCE
Indigenous Trading economy
Indigenous people of Australia traded with each other AS EARLY AS 80,000 BCE, though it is estimated to be between 30,000 BCE and 50,000 BCE. -
48,000 BCE
Indigenous people of Australia's ancient shelters
Forty thousand years before Stonehenge, the Indigenous people of Australia removed pillars of rock to make shelters. See the photo below. -
40,000 BCE
The Oldest Paintings
the Oldest Paintings in Australia were discovered in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. -
Period: 40,000 BCE to 35,000 BCE
Indigenous Tools
The Indigenous people created tools from 40,000 years ago to about 35,000 years ago, during the Ice Age (2.6 mya to 11,700 yrs ago). This was millennia before the Stone Age! -
Period: 25,000 BCE to 35,000 BCE
Indigenous Rock Carvings around Australia
Indigenous people of Australia created intricate rock carvings. There are BILLIONS of artworks of this type around the country. One of these showed a man climbing a pole. Amazingly, an exact copy of the same carving was found 800km away! most of these carvings were found in Western Australia or in Central Australia. Each carving of a face has eyes, a mouth and arms. They show emotions as well as feelings. -
20,000 BCE
The Sea level is 130m lower
20,000 years ago, the sea level in Australia was 130m lower than current. -
Period: 20,000 BCE to
Indigenous Rock paintings
Indigenous people painted on cave walls to tell dream time stories. Indigenous people used these paintings as other ways to express storytelling. Indigenous rock paintings are found all over the country. -
10,000 BCE
Indigenous maps
10,000 to 30,000 years ago, Indigenous people of Australia created maps. -
Period: 10,000 BCE to
Dancing and singing
10000 years ago, Indigenous people of Australia danced and sung. -
Britain colonizes America
Britain colonized America in 1606 in Jamestown, Virginia. Britain colonizes America so that they can send their convicts there. -
Period: to
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution meant that many people were displaced from their homes because they didn't have jobs. This meant that they were poor. So, they needed to steal for a living. Because of this, the
jails overcrowded. The United Kingdom needed somewhere else to send their prisoners: Australia. -
Captain James Cook discovers Australia
On the twenty second of August, 1770, Captain James Cook 'discovered' the south east coast of what is now Australia. Huge massacres took place after this and many died. Two famous massacres are The Convincing Ground Massacre (which took place from 1833 - 1834 in Portland, Victoria and killed approximately 200 indigenous people) and the Pinjarra Massacre (which took place on the 28th of October 1834 in Pinjarra, Western Australia and killed 14-40 Pinjarup people. -
The First Fleet's landing
The First Fleet landed in Australia. -
Bennelong dies
Woollarawarre Bennelong, a very nice friend of Captain Arthur Phillip, died on the 3rd of January, 1813. This is now Bennelong Point, on which the Sydney Opera House stands today.back then, this place was known as kissing point. -
Massacres
The largest massacre of Indigenous people in Australia is the Convincing Massacre. 60 to 200 indigenous members of Portland, Victoria, were killed during this massacre. This took place from 1833 to 1834. Another huge massacre is the Pinjarra Massacre in south-West Western Australia. More than 30 Pinjarup people perished on the 28th of October, 1834. These massacres are only two of the hundreds (or even thousands) of massacres that took place in Australia. Thousands of Indigenous people died. -
Australia becomes a Nation
Australia officially becomes a nation The first prime minister is Edmund Barton. Federation for Australia! -
Period: to
The Stolen Generation
Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families. They were treated horrifically from about 1910 to 1970. -
The Mabo Decision
The Mabo decision took place on the 3rd of June in 1992. The High Court of Australia that Terra Nullius should not be applied to Australia. This recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have rights to the land – rights that existed before the British arrived and can still exist today. -
The First National Sorry Day
On the 26th of May 1998, Australia had it's first official sorry day. -
Kevin Rudd's Sorry Speech
Kevin Rudd apologized officially for the Stolen Generation. This was a turning point in indigenous and Australian history. Kevin Rudd apologized officially to the whole nation at the parliament house in Canberra. -
Bruce Pascoe's Dark Emu
In the year 2014, Bruce Pascoe wrote Dark Emu, a book about the true history of Australia.
