Timeline of the catholic church of australia By Ben.Kennedy 1616 Dutch sea captain Dirk Hartog landed on western coast of Australia Period: 1616 to 2000 Timeline of the catholic church in australia 1688 The English pirate William Dampier spends nine weeks on the north-west coast of Australia 1770 Captain Cook explores Australia’s east coast 1778 Arrival of First Fleet at Sydney Cove 1817 Arrival of Fr. Jeremiah O’Flynn “Prefect-Apostolic of New Holland” 1833 Fr. Ullathorne arrives in Sydney as Vicar-General 1848 The Catholic Church in Australia is divided into provinces and dioceses 1851 Beginning of the gold rush 1865 St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney destroyed by fire 1871 Completion of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Ballarat 1880 Death of Ned Kelly 1906 Beginning of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart missions in the Northern Territory 1909 Death of Mary McKillop 1931 First attack on Nazism in the Melbourne Catholic newspaper The Advocate 1932 Sydney Harbour Bridge completed 1945 End of World War II 1956 Olympic Games, Melbourne 1991 Foundation of the Australian Catholic University 2000 St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney completed