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Australia
Australia is
sometimes called "the land down under"
because it is way down south below the equator. The
country has a population of about 18 million and is East Timor's R & R point.
That's convenient because it is located due south from Timor Island. Since we are going to
stay in Timor for a while, we are convinced that
there will be plenty of opportunities to visit more of the country.
Click pictures on the right for more of Australia
On January 26, 1788 (now celebrated as Australia Day),
the First Fleet under Capt. Arthur Phillip landed at Sydney, and formally
proclaimed the establishment of the Colony of New South Wales. Many but by no
means all of the first settlers were convicts, condemned for offenses that today
would often be thought trivial. The mid-19th century saw the beginning of
government policies to emancipate convicts and assist the immigration of free
persons. The discovery of gold in 1851 led to increased population, wealth, and
trade.
The six colonies that now constitute the states of the
Australian Commonwealth were established in the following order: New South
Wales, 1788; Tasmania, 1825; Western Australia, 1830; South Australia, 1836;
Victoria, 1851; and Queensland, 1859. Settlement had preceded these dates in
most cases. Discussions between Australian and British representatives led to
adoption by the British Government of an act to constitute the Commonwealth of
Australia in 1900.
The first federal Parliament was opened at Melbourne in
May 1901 by the Duke of York (later King George V). In May 1927, the seat of
government was transferred to Canberra, a planned city designed by an American,
Walter Burley Griffin. The first session of Parliament in that city was opened
by another Duke of York (later King George VI). Australia passed the Statute of
Westminster Adoption Act on October 9, 1942, which officially established
Australia's complete autonomy in both internal and external affairs. Its passage
formalized a situation that had existed for years. The Australia Act (1986)
eliminated the last vestiges of British legal authority.
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