Eyewitness History of the World 2.0

AUSTRALIA

The first people to live in Australia were the Aborigines, who 
migrated there from Southeast Asia in about 40,000 BC.
DISCOVERY
The first Europeans to reach Australia were the Dutch, who called 
it New Holland. In 1642 a Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman (16031659), 
sailed to Tasmania and New Zealand. Two years later, he landed 
on the northern shores of Australia. However, the Dutch did not 
establish settlements in Australia because they felt it had little 
to offer in terms of trade. In 1688 an English adventurer, William 
Dampier (16521715), explored the western coast of Australia. 
However, the British did not formally claim Australia until 1770, 
when Captain James Cook (17281779) explored the eastern region, 
naming it New South Wales.
BRITISH SETTLEMENT
The first European settlement in Australia was a penal colony 
established at Botany Bay on the east coast of Australia in 1788. 
It was named Sydney. The first years were difficult. There were 
often food shortages, as the land did not lend itself to farming, 
and many of the convicts, unskilled and barely educated, made 
poor settlers. The situation was not helped by the British soldiers 
of the New South Wales Corps, who hoping to get rich very quickly, 
exploited the colonists, and monopolized trade. Eventually the 
soldiers mutinied and were sent back to Britain. In spite of 
these difficulties, another penal colony was established in Van 
Diemans Land (modern-day Tasmania) in 1803.
EXPLORATION AND EXPANSION
Other British settlements grew up in the 1800s. In 1829 the colony 
of Western Australia was established and in 1837 that of South 
Australia. New South Wales was divided into two separate colonies: 
the northern colony remained New South Wales, and in 1851 the 
southern colony became Victoria. Queensland was created in 1859. 
During these early years of settlement, the British found that 
the answer to Australias economic future lay in sheep farming. 
The Australian climate and soils were well suited to rearing 
sheep and the wool produced was exported to Britain. As the wool 
industry grew, so did the demand for land. In 1813, explorers 
crossed the Blue Mountains, which opened the way for sheep farmers 
to spread westward inland. Many settlers drove their sheep outside 
official settlement boundaries on to land they did not own. As 
a result, they became known as squatters. Convicts had been 
the chief source of labor for the colonies, but in 1840 the British 
government decided that convicts could no longer be sent to work 
for private landlords. In 1852 the transportation of convicts 
to Eastern Australia ceased altogether. However, transportation 
to Western Australia, which had only begun in 1850, was not abolished 
until 1868.
GOLD RUSHES
Gold was discovered in New South Wales in 1851. This prompted 
a great influx of immigrants  in three years the population 
tripled. Gold brought enormous wealth to the Australian colonies, 
as trade increased. This period saw the construction of many 
railroads, bridges, roads, hospitals, and schools. It also marked 
the beginning of a White Australia policy in most of the colonies, 
which meant that only Europeans were allowed to settle in Australia. 
The gold rushes had attracted many Chinese immigrants and once 
the goldfields began to decline in the 1860s, the Europeans resented 
their presence.
FEDERATION
Britain granted the colonies self-government in the 1890s. However, 
many people began to argue in favor of a unified nation of Australia. 
The need for a single voice in foreign affairs, and the advantages 
of uniform immigration laws were strong arguments for unity. 
On 1 January 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia was established 
and the former colonies became states within a federation. In 
1911 Canberra was declared the capital of Australia.
WORLD WAR I
Australian troops fought with the Allies in World War I (19141918). 
Many troops in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) 
were lost during the battles of Gallipoli. The Australian navys 
most famous feat was the sinking of the German cruiser Emden 
in 1914.
INTERWAR YEARS
The governments of the 1920s sought to quicken the pace of economic 
growth. Immigration was encouraged and loans came from Britain 
to fund investments. However, the world depression of 1929 hit 
Australia hard. Unemployment levels reached 25 percent. Though 
recovery was comparatively rapid, economic matters continued 
to preoccupy the government of the 1930s.
WORLD WAR II
In September 1939 Australia followed Britain in declaring war 
on Germany. Australian troops fought in Greece, Syria, and North 
Africa. In December 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, then headed 
south. 15,000 Australian troops became prisoners of war when 
Japan conquered Singapore in February 1942, and later that month 
the Japanese bombed the city of Darwin on the northern coast 
of Australia. With few troops stationed at home, and the British 
fully occupied in Europe, Australia turned to the United States 
for help. Australia became the base for the Allied Pacific campaign.
POSTWAR POLICY
The immediate postwar years saw rapid growth, rising wages, and 
full employment. With a growing labor shortage, the government 
again encouraged immigration from Europe. This continued unrestricted 
until 1974. However, immigration increased the demand for housing, 
schools, and hospitals, and so did little to ease the situation. 
The White Australia policy was gradually abandoned from the 
1950s, as Australia developed much closer links with its Asian 
neighbors.
THE AUSTRALIA ACT
In 1986 the Australia Act was passed, giving Australia full independence 
from Britain, although the Queen remains sovereign. In 1993, 
prime minister Paul Keating (born 1944) announced that Australia 
will become a republic by 2001, provided the people of Australia 
support the change in a referendum.

Copyright 1995, 1998 Dorling Kindersley
