The Australian Nation
As a formalised modern country Australia is only a little over 100 years old, beginning from Federation in 1901.
In contrast, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been on this land for more than 60,000 years operating under their own governance and laws.
However, this changed dramatically with the arrival of British explorers in 1770. The events that proceeded this moment had dire consequences on a complex and self-sustaining society of peoples (First Nations Australians) and the dreams of a disillusioned and outcast people realised (the British). We now, in 2024, sit with the tension of these events. Understanding our past as a country will inform our solutions in the future. This is important work.
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Images Sourced from
Higgins, I. and Collard, S. (2020) Captain cook’s landing contested by Aboriginal leaders, ABC News. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-29/captain-cook-landing-indigenous-people-first-words-contested/12195148 (Accessed: 03 April 2024).
Education in context
60,000+ years ago - 1770
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander occupation
As Aboriginal people traversed Australia's vast landscapes, they encountered diverse plants and animals, offering new food and materials that varied by region and season. Over 60,000 years, they inhabited a wide range of environments, spanning from the northern tropics to the southern grassy plains, forming distinct cultural and linguistic groups. They swiftly adapted to environmental changes, utilising controlled fires to modify landscapes when necessary. Living in harmony with nature, they sustained themselves as fishers, hunters, and gatherers, and rudimentary farmers ensuring resources were not overexploited before moving on to new areas each season. This movement eventually brought them to the southernmost peninsula of the continent.
1770 - 1788
British discover and invade Australia - claiming 'Terra Nulius'
According to the international law of Europe in the late 18th century, there were only three ways that Britain could take possession of another country:
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If the country was uninhabited, Britain could claim and settle that country. In this case, it could claim ownership of the land.
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If the country was already inhabited, Britain could ask for permission from the indigenous people to use some of their land. In this case, Britain could purchase land for its own use but it could not steal the land of the indigenous people.
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If the country was inhabited, Britain could take over the country by invasion and conquest- in other words, defeat that country in war. However, even after winning a war, Britain would have to respect the rights of indigenous people
1788 - 1901
Formation of Australia as a self-governing dominion of British Empire
From the late 1700s, British colonies were established. By the late 1800s, these colonies had their own parliaments but were still subject to the law-making power of the British Parliament. Australia became a nation on 1 January 1901 when 6 British colonies—New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania—united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. This process is known as Federation.
1901 - 1914
During this period Australia enacted many historically significant laws:
Women's right to vote
Immigration restriction Act
Defence Act 1903
First laws passed and preparing for Australia's involvement in its first war.
Mass deaths of First Nations People
Conflict ravaged the land between the British and First Nations people. As a result innumerable calculated confrontations lead to the mass killing of First Nations people. The word we use for this is 'massacre'.
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1790 - 1920
Find Further information on Study Topics Below
Key Women in Australian History:
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Elizabeth Macquarie
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Caroline Chisholm
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Helen Spence
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Louisa Lawson
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Muriel Matters
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Vida Goldstein
Key British in Australian History:
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Queen Victoria
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James Cook
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Mathew Flinders
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Arthur Phillip
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Henry Parkes
Key Aboriginal people in Australian History:
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Pemulwuy
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Bennelong
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