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The Dutch Sailing to Australia
The first Europeans to sail to Australia were the Dutch, but they did not settle there. The Aborigines attacked the Dutch, and they left Australia and did not explore any more land. The Aborigines had been there tens of thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. The Dutch left Australia undisturbed. -
British Settling in Australia
Captain James Cook sailed around Australia, and he claimed the eastern coast for Great Britain. He named it New South Wales. He ignored the Aborigines unlike the Dutch, and then he claimed the land for Englnad. -
Penal Colony for Great Britain in Australia
The British created a prison in Port Jackson, Australia.They used Australia as a prison instead of Georgia. They were forced to do this because of the American Revolution. They thought Australia was a good prison because there was no way to escape, few colonies around, and few indiginous people. The only people that lived in the penal colony were gurads, their family, and the convicts. This created many of the first settlers of Australlia to be the prisoners or the soldiers guarding them. -
Boundaries of Australia were Formed
The Governemnet officials created boundaries inside Australia that are still in place today. -
Discontinued Shipping Convicts
In 1851 gold was discovered in Australia. The immigration of free people who were not convicts soon imigrating to Australia rapidly increased. Because of the gold being found and the free people coming Great Britian did not bring anymore prisoners over to Australia. Australia was no longer used as a Penal Colony. -
Commonwealth Of Australia was Established
In 1901 people who were not convicts started coming to Australia. The British colonies agreed to come together to form one country and one governemnt. When the commonwealth was established Melbourne was the capital of Australia. -
Canberra the New Capital
Melbourne was the capital of Australia when the commonwealth was first established. Then the capital was changed to Canberra after it was done in 1927. -
Aborigines Recognized as Citizens
The Federal Governemnt began to pass legislation to help the Aborigines. Aboriginal farmers went on strike, and had a very succesful strike. Laws were changed to help and create better lifes for the Aborigines. Because the governemnt did not act fast enough, the Aborigines are a lost generation. They have no way of knowing what tribe they came from because of the laws before they were granted citizens of Australia. Now the Aborigines have equal wages, are citizens, and have better living space. -
Australia Act
On this date the Australia Act was put in to place. This meant that all legal ties with the British Empire were severed. -
Independent Republic or Not?
In 1999 55% of the voters rejected the idea of an independent republic. Today Australia is a parliamentary democracy with the British queen.
