1. European Exploration and Colonization Of Australia

2. Exploration of Australian Coastline

3. Discovery Captain James Cook 1770 Claimed Australia for England
Named the area New South Wales

4. Colonization
From 1788 to 1868 convicts were sent from British debtors prisons to create a penal colony in New South Wales
20% of the first convicts were women
150,000 convicts in total sent to colony
Good strategic location for the Royal Navy
Easy access to the Far East for English merchants

5. Colonization Around 1793 free settlers began to arrive
Hopes of finding wealth and land

6. Convict Labor

7. Gold Rush
Late 1850s
Europeans believed that large amounts of gold existed in Australia
Brought many Europeans and Asians to Australia
Population of the colony doubled

8. German prospector with a mass of nearly all solid gold, from in 1872, weighed 630lb & valued at 12,000 pounds

9. Europeans Impact Reduction in Aboriginal population
About one half of the Aborigines died from diseases such as smallpox
Many killed fighting the British settlers

10. Europeans Impact
Introduction of cattle and sheep changed the landscape
Fences built, trees cut down, and crops planted

11. Religion Christianity introduced by prisoners
Irish prisoners brought Roman Catholic
Other prisoners and guards brought the Anglican and Methodist religions
Most Australians are Christians and belong to the Catholic or Anglican Church

12. Language Official language – English
Brought by English prisoners and settlers
Government limited number of immigrants to maintain language
Today more than ½ population came from non-English speaking countries