A fleet of British ships heading to the New South Wales colony under the direction of Captain Arthur Phillip in May of 1787 would effectively be responsible for founding Australia. The intention was that the area serve as a penal colony, a criminal housing settlement.

Following the American Revolution, America would no longer accept convicts from Britain, leading Britain to Australia. Among the passengers in the fleet, there were “200 soldiers and 700 convicts with varying sentences, including some serving life.” 

The colony was seen as more human than execution, but the conditions were horrendous. The captain was commissioned to develop a work camp for his charge upon arrival in Botany Bay. This area was recommended by Captain James Cook from his 1770 journey.

The conditions, however, were not as suggested by the captain’s reports, so the fleet moved to Sydney Cove, now Syndey Harbour, on January 26, 1788, which would later become Australia Day.

Go to https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/colonial for facts on Australia’s colonial history.

Colonization Australia’s Past Explained 

As the years passed and the colony began to thrive, churches were established, a school was built, and farmland was provided to convicts, the European settlers were dispossessing the First Nations peoples of resources and land. 

The unrest didn’t stop more British settlers from arriving; free individuals and families brought farming experience, their businesses, and laborers, causing an incredible expansion in the region. 

By 1868, roughly “160,000 convicts” had been received, but at this point the transport stopped. The suggestion is that “one in every 10 Australians descends from a convict.”

As the new society developed, governance intertwined with a legal system was created, which would work to establish the foundation for the country; however, did not recognise any legal rights to the country for the First Nations. What did that feel like?

Suppose you consider colonisation in the eyes of the country being colonised, a society that has occupied land for thousands of years and is suddenly, horrifically invaded, or essentially conquered while this new foreign rule assumes occupancy of the colony. In that case, it’s not such a nice, neat little package.

Not only did the British assume occupancy, but the colonisers instituted governance, abolishing any existing rule currently in place, and allowed a hierarchy to abuse the original settlers as “subhuman inconveniences.” 

Discussing the history of Australian colonisation without including the original settlers would be amiss.

Learning The Facts About Colonisation

When British Lieutenant James Cook arrived in 1787, followed in 1788 by Captain Arthur Phillip, their thought process was that this colony would be one of settlement and not “conquest.” 

The idea that the First Nations peoples were already settled there had no bearing on the British colonizers as they took over the region. They saw the land as “terra nullius (Latin)” – belonging to no one.

·       The first Australian colonies

Captain Arthur Phillip would gain absolute authority as the reigning governor over the colony and those living there. Efforts to develop into a functioning society proved difficult for the first several years but was self-sufficient by 1803. 

Early colonial history saw thriving industries like whaling and sealing as boats were crafted and farming was prevalent in produce. Soon, New South Wales would develop currency, establish a banking system, and build a hospital. It was quickly moving away from its penal colony origins.

In fact, when transported to the region, convicts were now deemed free to settle their own farmland. By 1820, the British population grew to roughly “26000.” 

Despite the number of convicts Britain was still transporting to Australia, the colony was still reporting a dominant population of both locally born and free settlers. 

From this point, the colony started to expand beyond its boundaries into the “modern-day states.” It grew exponentially until there were 180000 people in New South Wales by 1850. Go here for details on how Australia was named.

1.    Van Diemen’s Land

Van Diemen’s Land is now Tasmania. It’s unclear why British settlers chose this land, but it settled in 1803. The argument is that the overpopulation created a need to expand the colonies, while others believed it to be a strategy to prevent the French from invading the area.

New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land were designated as separate colonies in 1825. Van Diemen’s Land would become a primary location for convicts coming from Britain since this was suspended in New South Wales. Convict transport ceased in 1853, and “Van Diemen’s Land” became “Tasmania” in 1856.

2.    Victoria

Van Diemen’s Land pastoralists were inhabiting Victoria for its rich grasslands. The British settlers negotiated to gain 100,000 acres of the land. The “British Colonial Office” then annulled this deal with the premise that “squatters” would now be viewed as illegal trespassers.

Port Philip became an official region of New South Wales in 1836, giving anyone who wished to settle the chance to do so. In 1837, Melbourne’s primary settlement was established. 

All New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land squatters flooded the area, driving the population to “75000 Europeans and 2000 indigenous inhabitants by 1851.” Port Philip was separated in 1851 and recognised as Victoria, a new colony.

3.    Western Australia

Major Edmund Lockyer, the head of an expedition to prevent the French from potential settlement in Australia, sent a “military garrison to King George Sound in 1826.” In 1827, western Australia was annexed as a British colony.

4.    South Australia

 With the intention for power being shared between the Commissioners of Colonisation and the Crown, in 1836, it was presented that South Australia be established as a free colony. 

The approach to this region was one of an “alternative reputation”; therefore, convict labour was banned in favour of a respectable and equal region.

5.    Queensland

In 1824, a penal settlement was established in Moreton Bay, which can be found in what is now Brisbane. It was to be a location for convicts to serve “secondary punishment.” the penal colony was shut down in 1842, allowing free land settlement. 

At this time, there was extreme violence between settlers and the indigenous community as the colonies continued to grow. Queensland was declared its own state in 1857, apart from New South Wales.

·       The Commonwealth

Legislation was introduced to the British Parliament to enable a commonwealth. In January of 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was developed, for which a constitution was drafted and approved by Australian voters. This gave the commonwealth residual power over the newly named states.

Final Thought

The First Nations peoples saw a drastic decline in their population as a result of Australia’s colonisation. The number of indigenous people who populated the land when the Europeans colonised it is unclear. The estimates range from “300,000 to 1 million.” Those who perished in conflict also vary in numbers. 

The people not only died from battle, but there were diseases brought into the country for which the indigenous families had no resistance, including “influenza, smallpox, measles, and on.” There were also “organised massacres” of these people.

While January 26 is celebrated by many in Australia with barbecues, fireworks, holidays from work, and parades, the First Nations people who remain see the anniversary in a very different light.