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Captain Cook sights the eastern coast of Australia
On the 20th of April Captain Cook, on the endeavour, makes the first european sighting of the eastern coast of Australia. -
Captain Cook sails into Botany Bay
On the 29th of April, the Endeavour enters Botany Bay -
Joseph Banks recommends Botany Bay
Joseph Banks strongly recommends Botany Bay as a suitable place for a penal settlement to an English Parliamentary committee. -
Britian claims Australia
Britian assuming that the aborigibes had no claims to the land as a 'wondering people', announces that settlement shall be made at New South Wales -
Arrival of convicts
Arrival of 543 convict me and 189 women in the first fleet, under Governor Athur Phillip, first at Botany Bay, then at Sydney Cove -
Second Fleet arrives
The second fleet known as the 'Death Fleet' arrives with enough supplies to end the famine. -
First major gold strikes
First major gold strikes, with gold found near Bathurst NSW, then in Victoria near what would be called Ballarat -
First recoreded game of Australian Rules Football
First recoreded game of Australian Rules Football takes place between schoolboys - Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar -
Queensland separates from New South Wales
Queensland separates from New South Wales, becoming the only Australian colony to begin life wih its own parliament instead of first spendin gitme as a Crown Colony -
First Melbourne Cup horse race
First Melbourne Cup horse race. The Sydney outsider, Archer, wins the prize - 710 gold sovereigns and a hand beaten gold watch -
First test match played
First test match played between Australia and England at the MCG in Melbourne. Australia wins -
Australia life begins as Australia
Australia life begins as Australia. The commonwelth is born -
First world war starts
First world war starts. Within hours, Australia declares itself at war on the side of the British Empire. -
Gallipoli
Australian soldiers fight at Gallipoli as part of a brave but futile attemp to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul) -
First world war ends
The first world war ends on what will become remembered as Armistice Day -
Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It will be another ten years before the bridge opens -
Sydney Harour Bridge opens
Sydney Harour Bridge opens -
Second World War begins
Second World War begins -
Second World War ends
Second World War ends -
Olympics held in Melbourne
Olympics held in Melbourne and black and white television begins transmission in Australia -
Queen Elizabeth opens Sydney Opera House
Queen Elizabeth opens Sydney Opera House -
Cyclone Tracey
On Christmas Eve, cyclone tracey devastastes the city of Darwin