Australian History
Australia has a rich and interesting history that stretches back much further than the two hundred or so years that constitute Australia’s ‘official’ history. It has been inhabited longer than most countries on earth and has undergone much change and upheaval to become the nation that it is today. From the fascinating history of the Aboriginal people, Australia’s original inhabitants, to Australia’s discovery and exploration by European settlers, to the stories of the British convicts whose descendants still populate our cities, to thousands of immigrants who came to this ‘lucky country’ to build new lives, to Australia’s growing reputation as an international force to be reckoned with, both culturally and politically, Australian history is anything but dull.
EARLY HISTORY/PRE-CONTACT: 40 000 – 5 000 years ago.
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (the Torres Strait Islands are located between mainland Australia and Papua New Guinea, and the inhabitants of these islands are considered native Australians) people have a rich cultural history. They inhabited most areas of the Australian continent up until European settlement. Each region tended to have its own unique cultural tradition, lifestyle and language, reflecting a deep understanding and connection with the land.
40 000 years ago Australia has been inhabited by Aboriginal people for at least 40 000 years. For example, human skeletons have been found in south eastern Australia that could be as old as 60 000 years.
31 000 years ago At this point in time, Aborigines are living in Victoria.
20 000 years ago By this time, Aborigines are living in coastal and mainland Australia and Tasmania.
16 000 years ago The climate begins to change. Sea levels rise as ice caps melt, and inland lakes dry up.
13 000 years ago Sea levels continue to rise and the land between the Australian mainland and Tasmania floods. Tasmanian Aboriginal people are separated from the mainland for the next 12 000 – 13 000 years.
10 000 years ago The existing climate of Australia is established and the population begins to grow.
8 000 years ago The sea level rises even further and the land bridge between Australia and New Guinea floods, creating the Torres Strait Islands.
6 000 years ago The Pacific Islands are settled and Australia’s coastline takes the shape that it still has today.
5 000 years ago The dingo (a type of wild dog native to Australia) arrives in Australia from Southeast Asia.
FIRST CONTACT: 1400 – 1770
Even before the European settlement of Australia, mariners and traders from Asia and the Oceanic area were in contact with indigenous Australians, particularly in the Northern Territory. For example, a 15th century Ming statuette found near Darwin suggests that Chinese traders may have visited as early as 1400.
1606 The first European contact with Australia is recorded when Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon sails into Australian waters, charts 300km of the west coast of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland and makes contact with Aboriginal people. (The Cape York Peninsula is located in Queensland, on the eastern coast of Australia and is Australia’s northernmost point). He was the first European to have achieved this. Later, in the same year, Louis Vaez Torres sails through the Torres Strait (which was later named for him) and also sights the Cape York Peninsula.
1642 Another Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman, journeys to Australia and confirms that Australia is made up of four coasts (North, East, South, and West). The state of Tasmania was later named for this explorer.
1688 British explorer William Damper lands on the Australian coast.
1770 Captain James Cook lands on the East Coast of Australia in the HM Endeavour and claims New South Wales for Britain.
SETTLEMENT: 1788 – 1900
At the time of British settlement, the Aboriginal population of Australia was approximately 300 000, and there were more than 250 native languages spoken. When European settlers arrived, they found no recognisable political structure and so took the land as their own. Britain decided to use this new territory as a penal colony, and transportation of convicts continued until 1868. Other free immigrants also settled in Australia from the 1790s onwards, and even more came during the gold rush of the 1850s. This was devastating for the indigenous population, who were driven out of their homes. Many indigenous people died from diseases brought to Australia by the Europeans, and the introduction of new animals and plants also damaged the environment. Fighting between indigenous people and European settlers reduced the Aboriginal population in much of mainland Australia, and completely wiped out the Aboriginal population of Tasmania.
The exploration of Australia also began in earnest: throughout this century, people such as Bass and Flinders explored the coast, and Sturt, Eyre, Leichhardt, Burke and Willis, McDouall Stuart, and Forrest explored the inland areas of Australia. This was also the time period famous for bushrangers and outlaws such as Ned Kelly.
1788 Captain Arthur Phillip arrives with the First Fleet on 26th January (what is now Australia Day) to set up the first settlement, a penal colony, in Australia. Sydney was founded.
1797 Coal is discovered in the Hunter River near Newcastle.
1798 George Bass and Matthew Flinders prove that Tasmania is an island.
1803 Matthew Flinders is the first man to circumnavigate Australia in the ‘Investigator.’
1804 A group of Irish convicts attempt the first rebellion in Australian history at Castle Hill in NSW, although they were eventually subdued by police.
1813 The Blue Mountains, once considered an impenetrable barrier against further settlement, are crossed by Blaxland, Wentworth, and Lawson.
1824 Matthew Flinders suggests the name ‘Australia’ and it is adopted.
1825 Tasmania becomes independent from New South Wales.
1830 Perth, the modern capital of Western Australia, is founded.
1832 Uluru (or Ayers Rock as it was known) is first sighted by Europeans.
1834 The Colony of South Australia is established.
1837 Melbourne is named.
1839 First traces of gold found in Australia by Strzelecki.
1851 Edward Hargraves discovers a grain of gold in a waterhole near Bathurst. Noticing the similarities between the Californian goldfields and the Australian landscape, he informs the authorities of his discovery. This marks the beginning of the Gold Rush. Victoria becomes independent from New South Wales.
1855 Victoria achieves government.
1856 New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania all achieve government.
1859 Queensland is formed from New South Wales and achieves government.
1870 British troops withdraw from Australia.
1876 The last full blooded Tasmanian Aboriginal, Truganini, dies.
1890 Western Australia achieves government.
1894 Women in South Australia are granted the right to vote and to stand for election.
A NEW NATION: 1901 - 1945
It was during this period that Australia’s national identity began to emerge. The legend of the ANZACS and the creation of several Australian icons such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, QANTAS and Vegemite all contributed to this.
1901 The Commonwealth of Australia is officially created from the federation of six states (New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania). The Commonwealth of Australia remained a Dominion of the British Empire, meaning that while it was still politically dependent on the Empire to some degree, it controlled its own international trade, foreign affairs and defence. The Australian flag, designed by Igor Evans, Leslie John Hawkins, Egbert John Nuttall, Annie Dorrington, and William Stevens, was chosen after a worldwide design competition.
1902 The Immigration Restrictions Act is introduced, restricting immigration to people from European countries only.
1908 Canberra is selected as the site for the new nation’s capital – halfway between Sydney and Melbourne.
1914 – 1918 Australia enters WWI. Australian and New Zealand troops come to be known as ANZACS. Australia suffered a great loss of troops during this war, notably at Gallipoli in Turkey.
1920 QANTAS is formed as a local airline.
1923 Vegemite is first produced.
1927 Canberra holds the first Federal Parliament.
1929 – 1932 Great Depression. This had a negative effect on society as well as the economy, as many businesses had failed and so unemployment was at an all time high.
1931 Constitutional links between Australia and the British Empire are formally ended with the passing of the Statute of Westminster in the United Kingdom.
1932 Sydney Harbour Bridge is opened.
1939 – 1945 Australia enters WWII, with ANZACS at Crete, Greece, the Pacific and North Africa. During the war, Darwin in the Northern Territory was bombed by the Japanese. The prime minister at the time, John Curtin, ended Australia’s special relationship with Britain by appealing to the USA for help in the war. Australia’s contribution to victory in WWII helped build national pride.
GROWTH AND CHANGE 1948 – 1980
The post-war period saw a time of great economic growth and unprecedented prosperity. There was a surge in immigration to Australia which fuelled the manufacturing industry, and many women who had taken over factory jobs while men were away at war continued to work after the men’s return. These new sources of labour helped the growth of the economy, particularly during the 1950s, with plans such as the Snowy Mountains Scheme taking advantage of the large workforce. Home ownership rose; a social security net was implemented and television arrived.
1948 – 1975 During this period, up to two million immigrants arrive from Europe. Most of the migrants were British, but many migrants also came from Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Turkey and Yugoslavia. In the early 70s, about 90 000 Indo-Chinese refugees also immigrated to Australia.
1948 The Holden - the first all-Australian car – is produced.
1949 The Snowy Mountains Scheme, a plan to build a hydro-electric power utility, begins.
1950 – 1953 Australia goes to war again in Korea as part of the United Nations forces.
1956 Melbourne hosts the Olympics.
1964 – 1972 Australia goes to war in Vietnam in alliance with US forces.
1967 As the result of a referendum, Australian aboriginals are given the right to vote.
1971 An aboriginal man, Neville Bonner, is made a Member of Parliament.
1973 The Sydney Opera House, designed by Danish Architect Jørn Utzon, is opened.
1974 The Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, abolishes the ‘White Australia’ policy, allowing immigration to Australia from places other than Europe. On Christmas Day in this year, Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin in the Northern Territory, causing AUD$837 million worth of damage and killing 71 people.
1975 Prime Minister Whitlam is dismissed following a constitutional crisis.
1978 The Northern Territory achieves government.
1979 The Snowy Mountains Scheme is completed. Over 100 000 people had worked on it over the course of 30 years, many of whom were immigrants.
1981 Asian immigration to Australia began to increase following wars in Asia.
RECENT HISTORY 1980 – Today
Over the past 20 years or so, Australia has developed into a nation with a wonderful quality of life and a growing international reputation as a progressive and independent country.
1986 The Australia Act 1986 is passed, severing the constitutional ties between Australia and the United Kingdom and ending Britain’s role in any of the states.
1988 Australia celebrates its bicentennial.
1992 The Mabo decision in the High Court recognises Indigenous ownership of Australian land.
1996 John Howard wins the general election and is made Prime Minister for the first of his four terms.
2000 Sydney hosts the Olympics.
2002 89 Australians die in Bali, Indonesia when a nightclub is bombed by terrorists.
2003 Australia enters the war in Iraq with the United States.
2004 The Boxing Day Tsunami (as it was referred to in Australia) claims the lives of at least 186 983 people. Since this disaster, Australia has given more than AUD$111.3 million in aid to affected areas.
2007 Kevin Rudd is elected new prime minister of Australia (Labour Party), promising an education revolution.