A Brief History of the Continent of Australia

There are many individuals who think that the continent of Australia was largely unsettled before its "discovery" by European colonists. Contrary to this belief, the Australian continent was populated by the Aborigines peoples as well as Torres Straight Islanders before these explorers arrived. The Australian continent was made up of many different cultures and languages, and still is. The peoples of Australia had different religions, but shared a common and profound connection with the land on which they lived. They also shared a complex social structure. The Aborigines peoples and the Torres Straight Islanders had minimal outside contact with the rest of the world, but largely flourished in their isolated land.

The Aborigines and the Torres Straight Islanders lived on the Australian continent for thousands of years, and the Asian and Oceanic peoples had regular contact with these groups for thousands of years before the arrival of explorers from Europe. The first white people to arrive were Dutch explorers, who carted the area along the northern and western coasts of the continent. They reached Tasmania, which lies about 240 kilometers south of Australia, before turning back.

The Dutch were followed by the English, in the form of explorer William Dampier, who landed on the northwestern coast in 1688. His compatriot, Captain James Cook, was the first to claim the southeastern part of the continent for the British two years later, naming it the Colony of New South Wales and eventually settling it with approximately 1,500 convicts, mostly accused of minor crimes.

Along with foreign explorers, the Aborigines and the Torres Straight Islanders of Australia were also introduced to European animals that had never been seen on the continent before. To this day, the population of Australian feral cats thrives. The settlement of convicts in Australia was due to the American independence movement, which meant that the British could no longer send their convicts to America. The original convicts were followed by about 160,000 more over the next 80 years.

The population of the Australian continent saw a remarkable jump in both numbers and in wealth when gold was discovered in Australia in 1851. This discovery saw an influx of people seeking their wealth, and also lead to much more trade with the continent. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed fifty years later, in 1901. The Commonwealth consisted of six states, which included New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. The Canberra territory, which houses the Australian capital, and the Northern Territory were later additions.

The foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia lead to new political powers on the continent, which headed toward egalitarian ideals, but whose love for the secret ballot and for democracy did not extend to acceptance on racial matters. The government of the Commonwealth of Australia created immigration laws which restricted immigration to anyone living outside the European nations. This was hoped to form a "white Australia", and the laws that support it were only finally repealed in the mid 1970s.

One of the effects of the influx of Europeans to the Australian continent, particularly the many people who arrived in Australia from Europe in the early years of the 20th century, was that they began to take much of the land away from the native Aboriginal peoples. The Aborigines became displaced, and the children of the Aborigine people were often taken away in order to become assimilated into the European culture on the rest of the continent. This practice cut the children off from their traditional customs as well as from their culture and their native lands.

The Aborigine people became isolated from their own people and from their home lands, and were unable to practice their traditional hunting or cultural activities. To many, it appeared that the goal of the white settlers of the continent was to eradicate the Aborigine’s culture leaving the entire Commonwealth of Australia to themselves. The population levels of the Australian native people dwindled, and died down to only about 60,000 native people by the end of the 1960s.

The people of Australia have a strong sense of national pride despite the origin of the country. The Australian people banded together to form fierce fighting squadrons during both of the world wars, and have proudly sent their troops to the aid of the United States in several wars, including the wars in Korea and Vietnam as well as the war in Iraq. Australia has benefited from a proud government and an economic boom that has lasted decades. The natural beauty and unique culture of Australia make it a first rate tourist destination. Today, Australia is a thriving, modern country on a truly breathtaking and beautiful continent. Its history has paved the way for its future, and its beauty and mystery make it an attraction vacationers journey halfway around the world to experience.