The first British colony to be established on the continent was a penal colony at Sydney Cove near Botany Bay in January 1788 under a military governor (Botany Bay was the intended site because the botanist Banks who had accompanied Cook had waxed lyrical about the lushness and variety of its flora but, when the settlers landed, they found no supply of fresh water).
The transported convicts were sentenced to a term of seven years' hard labour but could not treturn to Britain at the end of their sentences through lack of the fare so they were alloted land at the end of the sentences, as were the attendant soldiers at the end of their military service.
Although emigration from Britain was very slow for many years, the government was keen to settle the continent to prevent the French, wh had sent a number of prospecting expeditions, from doing so. British posts were established along the coast of New South Wales and on Van Diemen's Land (later known as Tasmania and established as a separate governorship).
Successively more territory was occupied and settlement expanded into the continent's interior. In 1829 the colony of Western Australia was established at the opposite end of the continent the province of South Australia was separated from New South Wales with Adelaide as its capital in 1836. Both were established by private companies with scant encouragement from the British governement and struggled for survival aided only by the clemency of the climate and the fertility of the coastal regions.
The province of Victoria was established in 1851 with Melbourne its capital and Queensland (Brisbane) in 1859.
Transportation to the Australian mainland ended in 1840, and that to Tasmania in 1853, leading to greater numbers of immigrants into the colonies. The economy was agricultural,consisting of sheep farming and corn growing. The discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851 led to a large influx of settlers as miners arrived to seek their fortunes in the goldfields at Ballarat and Bendingo.
Representative government was partially introduced in new South Wales in 1842. All the colonies excepting Western Australia were given virtually autonomous government, on the same basis as Canada, in 1850 and this was extended to Western Australia in 1890.
The Commonwealth of Australia was established in 1901.
| 1649 | | The Moderate Intelligencer, published in London, assured would-be emigrants to North America that they could be plentifully fed and clothed with the natural Commodities of the Country which fall into your hands without labour or toyle |
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| 1788.Jan | | First British colony established in Australia at Sydney Cove |
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| 1829 | | British colony of Western Australia established as a private company |
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| 1836 | | Establishment of the colony of South Australia as a private company (separated from NSW) |
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| 1840 | | End of transportation to the Australian mainland |
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| 1842 | | Partially representative government introduced in New South Wales |
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| 1850 | | Practically autonomous government given to all states of Australia excepting for Western Australia |
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| 1851 | | Establishment of the province of Victoria in Australia |
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| 1851 | | Discovery of gold in Victoria, Australia, leads to a huge influx of immigrants |
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| 1853 | | End of transportation to Tasmania |
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| 1859 | | Establishment of the province of Queensland |
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| 1890 | | Practically autonomous government granted to Western Australia putting it on a parr with the rest of the continent |
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| 1901 | | Establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia |
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| 1953.Apr.08 | | Jomo Kenyatta, leader of the Kenya African Union, sentenced to seven years hard labour for his part in the organisation of the rebel Mau-Mau movement with three years hard labour to run concurrently for being a member of the movement
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| 1956.Mar.02 | | King Hussein of Jordan sacks British commander of the of the 20,000-strong Arab Legion, Lieutenant General John Bagot Glubb, in an effort to strengthen his own position within the Arab world |
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| 1970.Mar.01 | | Rhodesian Prime Minister, declares Rhodesia a republic declares the country a republic, severing its last links with the British Crown |
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