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Discovery of Australia
First Europeans to sail to Australia were the Dutch (Netherlands) but they were attacked by Aborigines so they abandoned the exploration -
British exploration
Captain James Cook sailed around
Australia and he named the area New South Wales -
Period: to
A penal colony
New South Wales was officially a penal (prison) colony consisting mainly of british prisoners, marines (guards), and the marines’ families -
Period: to
Port Arthur, Tasmania
It was the destination for the hardest of convicted British and Irish criminals -
Australian boundaries
Government officials created boundaries for the colonies that are still in place today -
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Australia was established -
Immigration Restriction Act
Act that restricted migration to people primarily of European descent -
The capital
Canberra becomes the national capital -
Australia Act
All legal ties with the British Empire were severed -
Independence: yes or not?
55% of voters rejected the idea of becoming an independent