Historical Overview Of Australia

Australia was an uninhabited continent until approximately 40,000 years ago when the first stone culture people arrived from Indonesia archipelago. These hunting gathering people became known as Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders and their population density is estimated to have ranged from 0.5 to 1 person per square km. Their technical culture was dependent on wood, bone, stone tools and weapons, and their spiritual and social culture was highly complex. They were divided into over 600 tribal groups, speaking several languages and confederacies usually linked these widely scatter groups. Records have been passed down through myths, allegories and songs, which have been found on rocks, caves, stone artefacts and faunal remains. 

In 1606 the first European sightings of Australia took place. The captain of the Duyfken (Little Cove), Willem Janszoom sailed into Australian waters charting over 300 km of the Australian coastline. Later that year captain Louis Vaez de Torres sailed through the strait, now called Torres Strait, separating Australia and Papua New Guinea. Both these captains recorded sightings of the Cape York Peninsula.

In 1642-1643 the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman commanded two voyages to Australia where he charted Van Diemen's Land, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji. In 1644 he mapped Australia’s north coast from east to west establishing that Australia was made four coasts - North, West, East and South. The Australian state of Tasmania was named after him.

In 1770 Englishman, Captain James Cook, aboard the HM Bark Endeavour, discovered the east coast of Australia. He landed in Botany Bay and claimed New South Wales for the British Crown. He also discovered the Great Barrier Reef when his ship became seriously damaged.

The site of Captain Cook’s first landing was intended to be the site for the first British penal colony. However 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip arrived he thought this location was unsuitable and decided to sail further north. He landed in Port Jackson on the Sydney Harbour and established Sydney on 26 January 1788 (now celebrated as Australia Day). The formal proclamation of the establishment of New South Wales followed on 7 February 1788.

During 1788 to 1868 approximately 160,000 people were bought to Australia as convicts. They were joined by free immigrants in the 1790’s, and later by free settlers in the 1850’s. Government policies were put into place to emancipate the convicts and assist the immigration of free persons. The discovery of gold in 1851 led to Australia’s increased population, wealth and trade.

In 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia was formed through the federation of six states under a constitution. The states were established in the following order – New South Wales in 1788, Tasmania in 1825; Western Australia in 1830; South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851 and Queensland in 1859. The constitution came into force on 1 January 1901.