Sydney

:For other meanings, see Sydney (disambiguation), or Sidney.

History

:Main article: History of Sydney

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The area surrounding Sydney Harbour (called Warrane by the aborigines) has been inhabited by Aboriginal tribes, notably the Eora and Cadigal, for at least 40,000 years. Although urbanisation has destroyed most evidence of these settlements (such as shell middens), there are still rock carvings in several locations. European interest arose with the sighting of Botany Bay (now a southern suburb of Sydney) in 1770 by Lieutenant James Cook. Under instruction from the British government, a convict settlement was founded by Arthur Phillip in 1788. Most convicts came from Ireland and England. A great number were in fact not real criminals but were simply sent to the new colony as a harsh punishment by the ruling aristocracy. (See the First Fleet article for more information.) Phillip first landed at Botany Bay, but found it unsatisfactorily shallow for a permanent settlement. After a brief sail north, Phillip founded the colony at Sydney Cove on Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour).

Related Topics:
Aboriginal - Eora - Cadigal - Urbanisation - European - Botany Bay - 1770 - James Cook - British - Arthur Phillip - 1788 - Ireland - England - First Fleet - Sydney Cove - Port Jackson

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Phillip originally named the colony "New Albion", but for some uncertain reason the colony acquired the name "Sydney", after the (then) British Home Secretary, Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney (Viscount Sydney from 1789). This is possibly due to the fact that Lord Sydney issued the charter authorising Phillip to establish a colony. Prisoners were quickly set to work to build the settlement and by 1822 the town had banks, markets, well-established thoroughfares and an organised constabulary; by 1847, convicts accounted for only 3.2% of the population.

Related Topics:
Home Secretary - Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney - Viscount Sydney - 1789 - 1822 - 1847

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Each day, ships would arrive from Ireland and England with immigrants looking to start a new life in a new country. The first of several gold rushes was in 1851, since which time the port of Sydney has seen many waves of people from around the world. With industrialisation Sydney expanded rapidly, and by the early 20th century it had a population well in excess of one million. Throughout the 20th century Sydney continued to expand with various new waves of European and (later) Asian immigration, resulting in its highly cosmopolitan atmosphere of the present day. Indeed, Sydney has the second highest immigrant population of any major world city, with 45% of the population being either migrants or children of migrants.

Related Topics:
Gold rushes - Industrialisation - 20th century - European - Asian

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Historical population

A majority of Sydneysiders are of British and Irish background. More recent arrivals have included Italians, Greeks, Lebanese, South Africans, Indians, Sudanese, Turks, Macedonians, Croatians, Serbs, Chinese and Vietnamese.

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• 1800: 2,540 inhabitants
• 1820: 12,000
• 1851: 39,000
• 1871: 205,800
• 1901: 487,900
• 1925: 1,039,000
• 2003: 4 million
• 2050: 6 million (projected)

Timeline of events

• 1788: First European settlement established.
• 1852: Sydney incorporated as a city.
• 1855: New South Wales's first railway line linking Sydney with Parramatta.
• 1870: Intercolonial Exhibition (1870)
• 1879: Sydney International Exhibition (1879)
• 1883: Parramatta - Intercolonial Juvenile Industrial Exhibition (1883)
• 1901: Commonwealth of Australia proclaimed in Sydney on January 1.
• 1932: Sydney Harbour Bridge completed.
• 1942: Sydney Harbour attacked by Japanese midget submarines.
• 1973: Sydney Opera House completed.
• 2000: 2000 Summer Olympics
• 2003: Sydney Opera House vandalised by British anti-war protestor, raising the ire of Australian authorities.