The First Australians
The first people to arrive on the Australian mainland were the Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who came by sea from Maritime Southeast Asia between 40,000 and 65,000 years ago. They settled in all parts of the continent, from the rainforests in the north to the deserts of the center, and even the sub-Antarctic islands of Tasmania and Bass Strait.
The Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples established artistic, musical, and spiritual traditions that are among the longest surviving such traditions in human history. They lived by hunting, fishing, and gathering, and invented tools like the boomerang and spear.
British Exploration
The British discovery and colonisation of Australia began in 1788 with the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson on the lands of the Eora, and the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales as part of the British Empire. The decision to establish a colony in Australia was made for two reasons: the ending of transportation of criminals to North America following the American Revolution, as well as the need for a base in the Pacific to counter French expansion. The colonisation had a devastating impact on First Nations people, who have lived on this continent for thousands of years. Prior to British settlement, more than 500 First Nations groups inhabited the continent we now call Australia, approximately 750,000 people in total. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures developed over 60,000 years, making First Nations Peoples the custodians of the world’s oldest living culture.
Colonization and Expansion
In the century that followed, the British established other colonies on the continent, and European explorers ventured into its interior. Aboriginal people were greatly weakened and their numbers diminished by introduced diseases and conflict with the colonists during this period. Gold rushes and agricultural industries brought prosperity. Transportation of British convicts to Australia was phased out from 1840 to 1868.
Autonomous parliamentary democracies began to be established throughout the six British colonies from the mid-19th century. The colonies voted by referendum to unite in a federation in 1901, and modern Australia came into being.
Modern Australia
Australia fought as part of British Empire and later Commonwealth in World War I and World War II, becoming a long-standing ally of the United States when threatened by Imperial Japan during World War II.
Trade with Asia increased after World War II, and a post-war immigration program received more than 6.5 million migrants from every continent. Supported by immigration of people from almost every country in the world since the end of World War II, Australia's population increased to more than 25.5 million by 2020, with 30 percent of the population born overseas.
Australia's history is a story of resilience, innovation, and adaptation. From its earliest inhabitants to its modern multicultural society, Australia has always been a land of opportunity and promise.