Before 1900, there was no actual country called Australia, only the six colonies –
New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia
. While these colonies were on the same continent, they were governed like six rival countries and there was little communication between them.
Who controlled Australia before 1901?
Australia in the late 19th century consisted of six self-governing
British colonies
that were subject to the British Parliament. Each colony had its own – often quite distinct – laws, railway gauge, postage stamps and tariffs.
What was Australia called before 1788?
After British colonisation, the name
New Holland
was retained for several decades and the south polar continent continued to be called Terra Australis, sometimes shortened to Australia.
What was Australia originally supposed to be?
Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally planned as
a penal colony
. In October 1786, the British government appointed Arthur Phillip captain of the HMS Sirius, and commissioned him to establish an agricultural work camp there for British convicts.
What was Australia like before it was colonized?
In The Biggest Estate, Gammage supports his thesis with exhaustive and compelling research from primary sources to prove that prior to British colonisation in 1788, Australia was
an “unnatural” landscape
, carefully and systematically managed by its traditional owners to ensure that “life was comfortable, people had …
Is Australia still a British colony?
The six colonies federated in 1901 and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed as a Dominion of the
British Empire
. … The final constitutional ties between the United Kingdom and Australia ended in 1986 with the passing of the Australia Act 1986.
Is Australia a Dominion?
On January 1, 1901, six colonies were joined together to create the Commonwealth of Australia,
a self-governing Dominion in the British Empire
. While the new nation was sovereign when it came to its domestic affairs, the United Kingdom maintained control over its relations with the wider world.
How many Aboriginal were killed in Australia?
Reports vary with from
60 to 200 Aboriginal Australians killed
, including women and children.
Where did Aborigines come from?
Aboriginal origins
Humans are thought to have migrated to Northern Australia from Asia using primitive boats. A current theory holds that those early migrants themselves came out of
Africa
about 70,000 years ago, which would make Aboriginal Australians the oldest population of humans living outside Africa.
What does Wagga Wagga mean in Aboriginal?
Wagga Wagga – The Name
The name ‘Wagga' is derived from the local Wiradjuri Aboriginal language on whose land the City of Wagga Wagga now grows. It is widely accepted that ‘Wagga' means ‘crow' and to create the plural, the Wiradjuri people repeat the word. Thus Wagga Wagga translates as ‘
the place of many crows'
.
Why is Australia under British rule?
Australia is
a constitutional monarchy with The Queen as Sovereign
. As a constitutional monarch, The Queen, by convention, is not involved in the day-to-day business of the Australian Government, but she continues to play important ceremonial and symbolic roles. The Queen's relationship to Australia is unique.
What was the original reason for colonizing Australia?
The new colony was
intended to alleviate overcrowding in British prisons
, expand the British Empire, assert Britain's claim to the territory against other colonial powers, and establish a British base in the global South.
How did Australia get its name?
The name Australia (pronounced /əˈstreɪliə/ in Australian English) is
derived from the Latin australis, meaning “southern”, and specifically from the hypothetical Terra Australis postulated in pre-modern geography
.
What did the aboriginals call Australia?
The Aboriginal English words ‘
blackfella' and ‘whitefella'
are used by Indigenous Australian people all over the country — some communities also use ‘yellafella' and ‘coloured'.
How were the aboriginal treated in Australia?
Neck chains were used while
Aboriginal men were marched from their homelands into prisons
, concentration camps known as missions and lock hospitals or forced into slavery. Women were also forced into slavery as domestic servants. The oppression continues today as well.
Did the Dutch discover Australia?
While Indigenous Australians have inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years, and traded with nearby islanders, the first documented landing on Australia by a European was in
1606
. The Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon landed on the western side of Cape York Peninsula and charted about 300 km of coastline.
