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Period: to
Austrailia
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Dirk Hartog lands off Western Australia
On 25 October 1616 Dirk Hartog became the first European to set foot on the shores of Western Australia, and only the second to record encountering the Australian continent. -
Wreck of the Batavia
Almost 400 years ago the Dutch East Indiaman Batavia wrecked near a small group of islands off Australia’s western coast.Of the 200 people who survived the wreck, only about 70 would still be alive three months later. Two of these would become Australia’s first, albeit unwilling, European settlers. -
Merino sheep introduced
In 1797 the first merino sheep were landed in Australia. Unlike earlier breeds, this Spanish variety was much better suited to the Australian environment and was a formidable wool producer. The first Australian-produced fleece was sold in England in 1807 and by the late 19th century, wool had become Australia’s major export. -
Flinders circumnavigates Australia
British explorer Matthew Flinders was the first person to circumnavigate Australia. Flinders charted much previously unknown coastline, and the maps he produced were the first to accurately depict Australia as we now know it. Flinders proved Australia was a single continent. By using the name ‘Australia’ in his maps and writings, he helped the word enter common usage. -
First public hospital
Sydney Hospital occupies the site of the first public hospital in Australia, the Rum Hospital, which opened in 1816. In 1845 the Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary, a charity instituted the previous year to provide medical care to the poor, moved into the building. -
Quintus Servinton
Quintus Servinton: A Tale Founded upon Incidents of Real Occurrence, the first novel written and published in Australia, was printed in Hobart in 1830–31. A morality tale and story of convict life, the experiences of the novel’s central character closely resembled the life of its author, Henry Savery, who was transported to Van Diemen’s Land for forgery in 1825. -
New Zealand becomes a separate colony
On 1 July 1841 the islands of New Zealand were separated from the Colony of New South Wales and made a colony in their own right. This ended more than 50 years of confusion over the relationship between the islands and the Australian colony. -
The start of whaling
Britannia, a whaling ship that brought convicts and supplies to Sydney as part of the Third Fleet, was the first ship to harpoon a sperm whale off the Australian coast, in October 1791. The whaling industry helped the fledgling colony survive and the industry flourished until a downturn in the 1850s and the eventual overharvesting of many species. The last whaling station in Australia closed in 1978.