Australia was discovered in 1606 by Captain Jansz or Janszoon, a Dutchman.
Each group of people lived in close relationship with the land and had custody over their own Country.
In the beginning of colonization, Indigenous people continually resisted the violation of their right to land, and its impact on Indigenous cultures and communities.
It’s estimated that at least 20,000 Aboriginal people were killed as a direct result of colonial violence during this era of Australian history.
The most immediate consequence of colonization was a wave of epidemic diseases including smallpox, measles and influenza, which spread ahead of the frontier and annihilated many Indigenous communities.
In 1708, the British made their first settlement in Australia. At that time, Australia was inhabited by about 200,000 natives whose way of life had probably not changed for thousands of years.
The other settlement was held in 1788 when the first fleet of convicts were transportedto Port Jackson, where the city of Sydney was built later on.
Over the years, some 60,000 or 70,000 more convicts were transported to Australia from Britain until the practice ended in 1840.
By 1840, the convicts were already a small minority of the population. Six separate colonies were founded by settlers in Australia between 1825 and 1859.
It was almost certain that the whole of Australia would become British. During the succeeding years, there was rapid development of sheep-breeding and corn-growing.
In 1851, gold was found in Australia, and that attracted many more settlers.
By 1859, there were six states in Australia and each state had a Government like that of Britain.
A federal council was established in 1885 but was only a standing conference without executive power.
Conventions met in 1891 and 1897-98 to prepare drafts for a national constitution.
In 1897, an agreement was reached on a plan which the British government embodied in the Australian Commonwealth Act of 1900.