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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. The Aboriginal population numbers several hundred thousand.
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Colony of Western Australia established at Perth by Captain James Stirling.
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South Australia established, with Adelaide as its capital.
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Australia becomes the first country to introduce the secret ballot - or 'Australian ballot' - for elections.
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Outbreak of World War I. Australia commits hundreds of thousands of troops to the British war effort. Their participation - alongside New Zealanders - in the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey in 1915 leads to heavy casualties. The Gallipoli landings help cement a sense of identity in the young nation.
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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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Australia commits troops to the UN forces in the Korean war.
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Olympic Games held in Melbourne.
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Australia introduces new immigration laws, restricting the number of unskilled workers allowed into the country
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The Citizenship Act is amended to remove swearing an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. Prime Minister Paul Keating's Labor government pledges to make Australia a republic and to concentrate on links with Asia.
