History of Australia

The History of Australia began when humans arrived in Australia from the north approximately 50,000 years before present. This period is referred to as the prehistory of Australia. The written history of Australia began when European explorers first sighted the country. It has been divided into two periods: before and after it became a dominion of the British Empire in 1901.

History of Australia before 1901

Early records of its discovery by European expeditions date back to the 16th century. The first undisputed recorded European sighting of the Australian continent was made by the Dutch navigator Willem Jansz, who sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in 1606. During the 17th century, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines of what they called New Holland, but made no attempt at settlement. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast of Australia, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Britain. While not being the first European to reach Australia, it was often popularly said that Cook 'discovered' Australia. The expedition's discoveries provided impetus for the establishment of a penal colony there following the loss of the American colonies that had previously filled that role.

Related Topics:
16th century - Willem Jansz - Cape York Peninsula - New Holland - James Cook - New South Wales - Penal colony

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The British Crown Colony of New South Wales started with the establishment of a settlement at Port Jackson by Captain Arthur Phillip on 26 January 1788. This date was later to become Australia's national day, Australia Day. Van Diemen's Land, now known as Tasmania, was settled in 1803 and became a separate colony in 1825. Britain formally claimed the western part of Australia in 1829. Separate colonies were created from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859. The Northern Territory (NT) was founded in 1863 as part of the Province of South Australia. Victoria and South Australia were founded as "free colonies"?that is, they were never penal colonies, although the former did receive some convicts from Tasmania. Western Australia was also founded "free", but later accepted transported convicts due to an acute labour shortage. The transportation of convicts to Australia was phased out between 1840 and 1868.

Related Topics:
Crown Colony - Port Jackson - Arthur Phillip - 26 January - 1788 - Australia Day - Van Diemen's Land - Tasmania - South Australia - Victoria - Queensland - Northern Territory

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A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s, and the Eureka Stockade rebellion in 1854 was an early expression of nationalist sentiment. Between 1855 and 1890, the six colonies individually gained responsible government, managing most of their own affairs while remaining part of the British Empire. The Colonial Office in London retained control of some matters, notably foreign affairs, defence and international shipping.

Related Topics:
Gold rush - Eureka Stockade - 1854 - Responsible government - British Empire

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