Australia Who came and how did they get there?

Australia was settled by the ___________.

In the 1700s Australia was settled by the British. Prisons in Britain were becoming over-crowded, and they required a new punishment. They needed to find somewhere to dump these criminals.

1770s Captain Cook discovered the east coast of Australia in the early 1770s. He and his crew claimed it under the law Terra Nullius, which means, “ this land belongs to no one”.

January 26, 1788 The first fleet of British settlers arrived in New South Whales. 11 ships arrived carrying convicts, their families, and officials. They brought along livestock, such as pigs, sheep, cattle and rabbits.

Who came? There were 222 women and 767 men. What percentage of people were women?

The Route

The Europeans clashed with the Aborigines people. They did not understand their culture and often dismissed them as being uncivilized savages.

Living Conditions At first, the conditions were very hard. The land was different than back home, and the weather made growing crops a challenge. But convicts help establish the first towns in Australia. They paid off their debts and became free citizens.

1840 No more convicts were sent to the eastern part of Australia. Overall, convicts came by boat to Australia

1854 The Eureka Stockade The Gold diggers stop up for their rights and fought the authorities.

January 1, 1901 Australia became a united nation

1913 Canberra becomes the official Capital. There was debate between whether Melbourne or Sydney should be the capital. They settled on Canberra because it was halfway between the two.

Journal #2 What do you think would be the biggest challenge as a British settler in Australia?