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Indigineous Australians
Aborigine Australians thought to have arrived from Southeast Asia at least 40,000 years ago and by 20,000 B.C, are thought to have spread throughout the mainland and Tasmania. -
First Sighting
Dutch Ship, Duyfken, first recorded sighting, captained by Willem Janszoon, followed the coast of New Guinea, and explored part of the western side of Cape York, believing the land was still part of New Guinea. -
Captain Cook
Captain Cook claims Australia for Britain, names the Eastern part of Australia, "New South Wales" -
Captain Arthur Phillip
Captain Arthur Phillip founds a penal colony at Sydney with 11 vessels and nearly 800 convicts. -
Captain James Stirling
Captain James Stirling proclaims foundation of the colongy at Perth. -
Foundation of South Australia
After years of exploration, Britain finally approves of the colonization and Colonel William Light claims Adelaide as the capital. -
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Population Growth
The number of new arrivals to Australia was greater than number of convicts brung here in the past 70 years. Total population boomed from 430,000 to 1.7 million -
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Gold Rush
Edward Hargraves is the first to find gold and discovers a "grain of gold" near Bathurst. Just four rmonths after Hargraves' discovery, at least 1000 prostpectors showed him to the newly named Ophir. Gold fever gripped the nation and the colonial authorities responded by appointing 'Commissioners of Land' to regulate the diggings and collect licence fees for each 'claim'. NSW yielded 850,000 ounces of gold in 1852. 1852 alone, 370,000 immigrants arrived in Australia. -
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Victorian Boom.
In 2 years, the state's population grows from 77,000 to 540,000 -
Queensland
First major gold find. -
Northern Territory
First major gold find. -
Tasmania
First major gold find in Tasmania -
Commonweath of Australia & The Immigration Restriction Act
The six colonies federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia and each became a state. Also the Immigration Restriction Act is signed which limited immigration to Australia and set the white basis of Australia and tried to exclude all non-Europeans from Australia. This was opposoed by Britian and now a literacy test had to be administered for entrance into Australia. -
Canberra
Foundation stone laid down as a base for the new capital city but was delayed by the first World War. -
World War 1
World War 1 begins and Australia sneds hunfreds of thousands to help the British effort. A year later alongside many other countries, heavy casualities are sustained at the Gallipoli campaign which many consider a key parrt of the war which gave countries a sense of identity. -
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The Great Depression in Australia
Australia suffers years of unemployment, poverty, delation, declining incomes and low profits. Gross domestic product declines by 10% by 1932 and unemployment reaches 32% in 1932. -
WWII
Australia follows Britian's lead and declares war on Nazi Germany. -
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Emigration to Australia
As results from the war, more than two milliom immigrants come to Australia. Mostly British and some from Italy, Greece and Germany. -
VIetnam War effort
Australia commits troops to the US war effort in Vietnam. -
The 1967 Referendum
National referndum on changes to the Constitution. A section that states that Aboriginals will not be counted to official census. Also another change is passed to change the "special laws" that can be made for the Aborigines. -
Australian Immigration
Australia introduces new immigration laws, restricting the number of unskilled workers allowed into the country. -
the Australian Act
The Australia Act removed the possibility that British laws could be made to apply to Australia. It also abolished appeals from Australian courts to the Privy Council in London.
This was the final of eight Acts passed by the state and federal parliaments, as well as the British Parliament, to assert the independence of Australian law and recognise Australia as a 'sovereign, independent and federal nation'. -
The Citizenship Act
The Citizenship Act is amended to remove swearing an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. -
Bombing in Bali
Australia mourns as 88 of its citizens that were killed in a night club bombing in Bali, which some call Australia's September 11. The attacks, which killed 202 people in total, are blamed on al-Qaeda-linked Islamists. -
Australian Troops sent.
Australia deploys troops to the Gulf ahead of a possible war. The move sparks public protests. -
Death of Aboriginie
Race riots in district of Sydney, sparked by death of Aboriginal teenager.
