A brief history of Australia

Australia’s First Peoples Believed to have been inhabited for over 50,000 years Aboriginal peoples survived by a nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle

The arrival of Europeans 1778- European settlers arrived Europeans claimed to own the land Aboriginal people were displaced from their traditional hunting lands Europeans cleared the natural vegetation to make farms

The demise of the Aboriginal Peoples Violent conflicts between Europeans and aboriginal peoples drastically reduced the aboriginal population Europeans introduced diseases, including smallpox, which claimed thousands of Aboriginals lives Aboriginal population dropped from over 300,000 (1700’s) to 80,000 (1950’s).

And the resurgence It was not until the 1970-1980’s that the Aboriginal population began to increase Government policies attempted to ensure that Aboriginal peoples enjoyed the same standard of health and well-being

__________________________ (_____________________________) European Settlements First settlement, at present-day Sydney, was a penal colony Criminals and political troublemakers were shipped from Britain Britain stopped ‘exporting prisoners’ in 1868 but by then 90,000 convicts were in New South Wales (and 67,000 in Tasmania)

In recent times. . . Australia granted independence from Britain in 1901 Until the 1950’s, most immigrants were from Britain In the 1970’s, phased out legislation that prevented non-whites from immigrating to Australia Asia is currently a major source of immigration to Australia