| Australia - bizarre when you think that until the | | | | practice ceasing in the early 1840s with the |
| early seventeenth century, the world knew | | | | exception of the Swan River settlement (now |
| nothing of this vast country. It simply slumbered | | | | Western Australia) where the practice remained |
| away at the bottom of the world, staying out of | | | | until 1868 due to labour shortages. |
| the world’s great and terrible endeavours. | | | | By 1846 there were four separate colonies - New |
| Indeed, its inhabitants were unaware of | | | | South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, |
| anybody’s existence except their own and as | | | | five if you include New Zealand. Each colony was |
| it turned out they were much better off in their | | | | governed by a British Governor which was |
| isolation and their ignorance. They were an ancient | | | | appointed by the British monarch with most of |
| people, at least forty thousand years old, | | | | the administration been controlled by the military. |
| estimates reckon that there were between three | | | | The burgeoning colonies of course clashed with |
| hundred thousand to one million people scattered | | | | the existing Aboriginal people, now rivals for land |
| in around two hundred and fifty tribes many of | | | | and resources. As a result of these clashes, the |
| which co-existed in peaceful alliance with one | | | | Aborigines were decimated, been driven of their |
| another. Amazingly, each had their own distinct | | | | lands led to mass starvation and European |
| language, meaning that there were over two | | | | diseases decimated their populations. Tragically by |
| hundred and fifty distinct languages! Alas, the | | | | the end of the nineteenth century, their numbers |
| vast, vast majority of these tongues have | | | | had dwindled massively and those that remained |
| vanished off the face of the world, without a | | | | were forced onto land reserves. In 1851, the |
| trace remaining. These people had originally made | | | | fortunes of the colonies were to change beyond |
| their way onto Australia by means of a land | | | | all recognition with the discovery of gold, firstly in |
| bridge which was connected to New Guinea. | | | | the newly founded colony of Victoria. Huge |
| Similarly, some made their way onto the present | | | | numbers of settlers left the shores of Ireland and |
| day island of Tasmania which was also connected | | | | Britain to share in the new found prosperity, they |
| to the land mass during the last ice age. The seas | | | | were joined by considerable numbers of |
| later rose, cutting off the land bridge and isolating | | | | immigrants from North America, China and |
| Tasmania’s inhabitants from the mainland. The | | | | continental Europe. The large number of settlers, |
| collective name for these tribes was Aborigine, | | | | now supremely confident, began to call for trial by |
| because of the harsh environment that they lived | | | | jury, representative government, a free press |
| in they were rarely able to cultivate the land nor | | | | and so the rumblings of a breakaway from Britain |
| were they able to herd animals. Instead, they | | | | began. In 1855, New South Wales, Victoria, South |
| lived by hunting and gathering food, both of which | | | | Australia and Tasmania were all granted |
| were arduous and difficult tasks, often taking up | | | | parliaments in which the lower houses were fully |
| most of the tribe’s day. | | | | elected. For the following four decades, Australia |
| Aboriginal women armed with digging sticks and | | | | boomed, cities sprang up, for example Melbourne |
| dilly bags dug for yams and edible roots and | | | | grew out of the dust to become the second |
| collected fruits, berries, seeds, vegetables and | | | | largest city in the Empire. Times were good, |
| insects. They also used their digging sticks to kill | | | | equally working conditions were much better than |
| small lizards and other small creatures. The men | | | | back in Europe as the unions were very strong. |
| from the tribe did the hunting, tracking and killing | | | | Employers attempted to circumnavigate the |
| larger animals such as kangaroos and emus with | | | | unions by bringing in Chinese labour, all colonies |
| throwing clubs, boomerangs and stones. They also | | | | immediately placed restrictions on Asian labour |
| built traps, laid snares and dug pits to capture | | | | leading to the foundation of the White Australian |
| animals with. The first definite sighting of Australia | | | | Policy. |
| by European explorers was in 1606 when a Dutch | | | | The boom time came to an abrupt halt with the |
| expedition, captained by Willem Janszoon, made | | | | Great Crash of 1891 with all the colonies |
| landfall on Cape York, believing it to be part of | | | | subsequnelty entering a decade long depression. |
| New Guniea. It was the first contact between | | | | The unions and the parliaments entered into a |
| Europeans and the ancient Aboriginal peoples, it | | | | caustic battle leading the unions to form their own |
| didn’t go well however, with the latter | | | | political parties which were the forerunners of the |
| attacking the former and the latter hot tailing it | | | | Australian Labor Party. These developments led |
| out of there rapidly. Not the most ideal of | | | | to a increasing radicalism and nationalism with |
| beginnings but completely understandable, the | | | | escalating calls for Australian independence. In |
| Aborigines had lived in complete isolation, believing | | | | addition, there began the rumblings of a racist |
| themselves alone on the planet, then seventeenth | | | | attitudes towards Asian immigrants. The |
| century ship arrives loaded with white skinned | | | | Depression led the colonies to seek a federation, |
| men, wearing strange garments and speaking | | | | realising that for the colonies to go it alone was |
| gobbledygook. It would be akin to a spaceship | | | | simply too risky, it came into effect on 1 January |
| landing in Times Square with Martians alighting | | | | 1901. Melbourne was nominated as the temporary |
| from it. Contact however had been made and life | | | | seat of government while Canberra was |
| was no longer going to be the same for the | | | | constructed as a purpose-designed capital city. |
| hitherto isolated Aboriginal tribes, Dutch ships | | | | The first major struggle that the Federation faced |
| began making tentative explorations of the north | | | | was World War One, sending tens of thousands |
| Australian coast over the following decades. In | | | | of young men to fight at Gallipoli and in France. |
| 1642, Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania and | | | | Tragically over sixty thousand men were killed |
| New Zealand. Over the subsequent decades | | | | with over one hundred and fifty thousand |
| Dutch explorers such as Francois Tyssen and | | | | wounded. During the 1920s, Australia depended |
| Willem de Vlamingh mapped much of the | | | | massively on the export of wool and wheat, too |
| Australian coast. | | | | much so in fact as the subsequent crash and |
| Captain James Cook is often incorrectly credited | | | | depression of the 1930s which economically |
| with the discovery of Australia but he did not | | | | destroyed the country was to prove. Australian |
| sight it until 1770, almost two hundred years after | | | | troops again played an important role in World |
| Janszoon but he still claimed the east coast for | | | | War Two and it’s borders were breached |
| Britain naming it New South Wales. Following the | | | | when Japanese planes bombed Darwin and |
| loss of their American colonies after the American | | | | Japanese submarines shelled Sydney. After World |
| War of Independence, Britain required somewhere | | | | War Two, Australia realised that it needed a |
| to put their glut of convicts which their | | | | larger population to be sustainable and so they |
| overcrowded prisons could no longer | | | | embarked on a massive immigration programme, |
| accommodate. Sydney Cove was chosen as a | | | | encouraging hundreds of thousands of displaced |
| suitable place, when a fleet loaded with convicts | | | | Europeans to resettle down under. During the |
| landed there on 26 January 1788, a date now | | | | 1950s they also began relaxing their White |
| celebrated as Australia Day. And so European | | | | Australia Policy. The Cold War saw Australia |
| settlement of Australia began with a bunch of | | | | developing closer links with America, sending |
| convicts who were guarded by second rate | | | | troops to fight both in Korea and Vietnam. |
| soldiers. One in three of the convicts were Irish, | | | | Melbourne hosted the Olympics in 1958, beginning |
| many who were transported because of political | | | | what many regarded as a flourishing of Australian |
| and agrarian disturbances which they had become | | | | culture which lasted throughout the 1960s and |
| involved in against the British Empire. The early | | | | 1970s. However, once again in the 1980s the |
| years of the colony were treacherous with all | | | | economy collapsed but the government reacted |
| methods of farming failing and the population | | | | well, introducing wide ranging reforms which |
| almost starving. However, by 1790, some farming | | | | stabilised the situation. The 1990s and the early |
| methods were successful and the colony began | | | | twenty-first century have once again being |
| to move out of the arena of near famine and | | | | prosperous for Australia although at the beginning |
| started to become self sufficient. As the colony | | | | of 2009 evidence started to appear that the |
| began to prosper, some Europeans were | | | | country may once again enter recession. During |
| confident enough to begin to explore further into | | | | the 1990s, the issue of Australian Republicanism |
| the interior. From 1815, the colony began to grow | | | | was once again brought to the forefront of the |
| rapidly as more and more free settlers arrived | | | | national debate with polls consistently reported |
| and new lands were opened up for farming. A | | | | that a majority of citizens were in favour of a |
| proper society was beginning to be formed, and | | | | republic and a complete breakaway form Britain. |
| the settlers protested successfully against the | | | | However, a referendum held in 1999 swung in |
| further transportation of convicts to Australia, the | | | | favour of remaining in the Commonwealth. |