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First Europeans to sail to Australia
The Dutch made one landing, were attacked by Aborigines, and then abandoned further exploration. -
Captain James Cook sailed around Australia
Cook named the area New South Wales
Ignored the Aborigines living there & claimed the land for England -
British Ships
Called the “First Fleet” left England with convicts to establish a prison colony -
British prisoners settled in Australia
Approximately 50,000 criminals were transported from Great Britain to the “land down under,” -
Remnants of the Tribes in the settled areas were moved onto Reserves
They were forbidden from teaching their children their language and customs. -
Government officials
They created boundaries for the colonies that are still in place today, -
The Commonwealth of Australia was established
The colonies, all of which had Westminster-style representative institutions by 1890, became one nation on 1 January 1901. The Commonwealth of Australia, with a federal structure, was established. -
Immigration Restriction Act
Restricted immigration to people primarily of European descent and was dismantled after the Second World War. -
Federal government began to pass legislation to help the Aborigines
It was widely seen as affirmation of the Australian people’s wish to see its government take direct action to improve the living conditions of Aborigines -
Australia Act
all legal ties with the British Empire were severed
