Australia History

The history of Australia said that the first record of human habitation in Australia occurred around 42,000 to 48,000 years ago. These first native Australians were Aborigines and Torres Strait, majority of them were hunters and gathers. It is assumed that they came to Australia by land bridges and short sea crossings that were created from what is now present day Southeast Asia. Asian and Oceanic mariners and traders were in contact with Indigenous Australians for many centuries before the European expansion into the Eastern Hemisphere. According to Australia History, the first recorded European contact with Australia was in March 1606, when Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon (c.1570 - 1630) charted the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland.

Later that year, the Spanish explorer Luis Vaez de Torres sailed through the strait separating Australia and Papua New Guinea. Over the next two centuries, European explorers and traders continued to chart the coastline of Australia. In 1688, William Dampier became the first British explorer to land on the Australian coast. It was not until 1770 that another Englishman, Captain James Cook, aboard the Endeavour, extended a scientific voyage to the South Pacific in order to further chart the east coast of Australia and claim it for the British Crown. Then, Britain decided to use its new outpost as a penal colony; the First Fleet of 11 ships carried about 1500 people—half of them convict. The fleet arrived in Sydney Harbor on 26 January 1788, and it is on this day every year that Australia Day is celebrated. The analysis of Australia history is currently the matter of debate, particularly regarding British colonization and the treatment of Native Australians.

The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 through the federation of six states under a single constitution. The non-Indigenous population at the time of Federation was 3.8 million. Half of these lived in cities, three-quarters were born in Australia, and the majorities were of English, Scottish or Irish descent. The First World War had a devastating impact on Australia. In 1914 the male population of Australia was less than 3 million, yet almost 400 000 of them volunteered to fight in the war. As many as 60 000 died and tens of thousands more were wounded. During the Second World War Australian forces made a significant contribution to the Allied victory in Europe and in Asia and the Pacific. The generation that fought in the war and survived came out of the war with a sense of pride in Australia’s capabilities.

The Liberal Party of Australia was formed in 1944 although its origin can be traced back to the early 1900s, from anti-Labor movements. The anti-communism of the 1950s shaped Australian foreign policy, which concentrated on relations with the US and non-communist Asian nations. Australia, New Zealand and the US signed the ANZUS defence treaty in 1952. Amid considerable controversy at home, Australia sent troops to Vietnam in support of the US forces. By 1970s the coalition government was plagued by inflation and industrial unrest, and in 1971 Labor won the elections. Australia’s military involvement in Vietnam was ended. The Liberal Party returned to power in 1975. In 1983 Labor came back and stayed in government until 1996, when the Liberal Party formed a coalition government again. In the subsequent general election the Labor Party suffered a major defeat and the Liberal–National Coalition ruled until 1983, when Labor again won office. In 1996 a Coalition Government led by John Howard won the general election and was re-elected in 1998, 2001 and 2004.
 
At present, the country is one of the most cosmopolitan and dynamic places on Earth. There were over 200 languages are spoken in Australia, with English the common language. It has emerged as an industrialized economy. Mining and mineral resource developments are still the backbone of the country. However, tourism and communications technology are also flourishing.