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Captain James Cook charts the east coast in his ship HM Endeavour.
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British Navy captain Arthur Phillip founds a penal settlement at Sydney. He had arrived with a fleet of 11 vessels, carrying nearly 800 convicts.
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The Commonwealth of Australia comes into being on 1st January.
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Outbreak of World War I. Australia commits hundreds of thousands of troops to the British war effort.
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The Great Depression following the Wall Street Crash hits Australia hard. Recovery is uneven, and the Labor government is defeated in the election in 1931
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The Bombing of Darwin, also known as the Battle of Darwin, on 19 February 1942 was the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia.
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Australia introduces new immigration laws, restricting the number of unskilled workers allowed into the country.
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Islamist Man Haron Monis takes 18 people hostage in Sydney cafe; two hostages and gunman die when police storm premises.
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Malcolm Turnbull steps aside after an unsuccessful right-wing challenge to his leadership, allowing the conservative but pragmatic finance minister Scott Morrison to take over as prime minister and Liberal Party leader.
