Leslie Massey
Australia in 1788 was a continent invaded by British colonists, who saw the land as a colony of settlement, not conquest, under the premise of 'terra nullius', meaning the land belonged to no one. This notion of 'terra nullius' was based on the assumption of European cultural superiority and the idea that Europeans could define the world in their own terms. The British invasion of Aboriginal land led to a drastic decline in the Aboriginal population, with many dying from introduced diseases like smallpox and influenza, as well as random killings and organised massacres. Prior to colonisation, the traditional owners of the land, the Aboriginal people, carefully managed the landscape to ensure a comfortable life with plenty of food and time for religion.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1788 |
| Colonisation | Australia was treated as a colony of settlement by the British. |
| Aboriginal Population | Estimates of the Aboriginal population range from 300,000 to 1 million. |
| Aboriginal Land | Aboriginal land was taken over by British colonists under the premise of 'terra nullius', meaning the land belonged to no one. |
| Aboriginal Laws and Traditions | Aboriginal people had their own laws and traditions, including fire and land management practices, that were not understood by the British. |
| Landscape | The landscape was carefully managed by Aboriginal people and was not a natural wilderness. |
| Aboriginal Lifestyle | Aboriginal people were not primitive hunters and gatherers but had a comfortable life with plenty of food and time for religion. |
| Disease | The Aboriginal population was affected by introduced diseases such as smallpox and influenza, with a high death rate. |
| Sovereignty | There is debate about the sovereignty of Aboriginal people, with some international lawyers at the time considering them "uncivilised". However, others argue that they generally met the criteria for sovereignty. |
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What You'll Learn
British colonisation
In 1788, the year the First Fleet arrived, Australia was a land largely untouched by human influence, with vast expanses of pristine wilderness. The continent had a diverse range of ecosystems, from tropical rainforests in the far north to arid deserts in the interior and temperate forests and grasslands in the south and east. The coastline was dotted with beautiful beaches and rugged headlands, and the waters teemed with marine life. The Indigenous Australians, who had lived on the continent for thousands of years, had a deep connection to the land and a rich cultural heritage. However, the British colonization that began in 1788 would drastically alter the country's landscape, ecology, and cultural fabric.
The British colonization of Australia began with the arrival of the First Fleet at Port Jackson (present-day Sydney) in January 1788. The fleet carried over 1,000 settlers, including convicts, soldiers, and free settlers, who established the first European settlement in Australia. The colony was established as a penal colony, and the British saw the vast continent as a remote and isolated place to send their convicts, providing a solution to the problem of overcrowding in British prisons. This marked the beginning of a significant transformation for the Australian continent.
The early years of British colonization were challenging, with the settlers facing many hardships, including disease, starvation, and conflicts with the Indigenous Australians. The British struggled to adapt to the unique and often harsh Australian environment, and the colony relied heavily on supplies and support from Britain. Despite these challenges, the colony gradually became more established, and over time, the British expanded their presence, exploring and settling in other parts of the continent.
As the British colonization progressed, it had a profound impact on the land and the people. The introduction of foreign plants and animals, as well as farming and land-clearing practices, altered the Australian landscape. The British also established new cities and towns, built roads and infrastructure, and introduced their laws and governance systems. While the colony brought some benefits, such as the development of new industries and the expansion of trade, it also had devastating consequences for the Indigenous Australians.
The British colonization disrupted the Indigenous way of life, as their land was taken, their populations were decimated by introduced diseases, and they faced violence, dispossession, and discrimination at the hands of the colonists. The colonists often failed to recognize the Indigenous Australians' prior ownership and occupancy of the land, and conflicts arose as the two groups competed for resources and space. This led to a breakdown in Indigenous societies and a loss of their cultural practices and traditions.
Despite these challenges, the British colonization of Australia continued, and by the mid-19th century, the continent was firmly under British control. The colony had grown and prospered, and Australia had become an integral part of the British Empire. While the colonization process was not without its controversies and tragic consequences, it shaped the country that Australia is today and continues to influence its culture, society, and relationship with its Indigenous peoples. The legacy of this period is a complex part of Australia's history that is still being grappled with and reconciled in the present day.
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Aboriginal land management
In 1788, the year of British colonisation, Australia was not a "natural wilderness", but rather an unnatural landscape that was carefully and systematically managed by Aboriginal people.
By using fire, Aboriginal people could plan and predict plant growth and attract animals for hunting. They converted land to grasslands to maintain animals, plants, and access to fresh drinking water. This complex system of land management was applied Australia-wide, regardless of soil fertility and natural vegetation.
The traditional methods of Aboriginal land management have been documented in books such as Bill Gammage's "The Biggest Estate on Earth", which challenges the misconception that Aboriginal people were primitive hunters and gatherers. Gammage's work highlights the universal end served by myriad local means in Aboriginal land management practices.
Today, Aboriginal land management continues to be practised and adapted with modern technologies and innovative practices. Aboriginal ranger programs, guided by local Aboriginal elders, have been successful in combining traditional knowledge with contemporary approaches to create sustainable environments for humans, plants, and animals.
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Disease and death
The arrival of British colonists in Australia in 1788 had a devastating impact on the Indigenous population, who had no immunity to the diseases carried by the Europeans. It is estimated that before colonisation, the Indigenous population numbered between 314,000 and 750,000, although some ecologists put the figure much higher at up to two million.
The first and most deadly epidemic was smallpox, which broke out in the Sydney area in April 1789. Smallpox killed around three in every ten people who caught it, and survivors were often left blind or scarred. The disease was particularly deadly to the Indigenous population, who had never been exposed to it before. It is believed that the epidemic was started by Surgeon John White, who brought smallpox pus onto the First Fleet with the intention of using it to immunise children born in the colony. However, it is not known how the disease spread to the local First Nations people.
Smallpox spread across Australia alongside European settlement, causing huge numbers of deaths. The disease affected entire generations of the First Nations population, and survivors were often left without family or community leaders. In the years that followed, further waves of influenza, measles, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted infections also took a heavy toll on the Indigenous population, who had no immunity to these diseases.
The lack of adequate sanitary measures in growing urban areas also contributed to outbreaks of deadly enteric infections, including diarrhoeal disease, which caused many infant deaths. It was not until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that a sustained downward trend in mortality from communicable diseases was observed, thanks to improvements in medicine and the development of vaccines.
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Invasion and sovereignty
On January 26, 1788, the British government sent its agents, including military officers and marines, to Sydney Cove. They entered the sovereign territory of the Gadigal people, marking the beginning of the invasion of Australia. This invasion, from the perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, contradicted the belief that the British were merely settling land they thought belonged to no one. Despite this, international law at the time recognised the invasion within the context of the European legal system of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The colonisation of Australia by the British resulted in a drastic decline in the Aboriginal population. Introduced diseases like smallpox, influenza, and measles, as well as random killings, punitive expeditions, and organised massacres, took a devastating toll on the Indigenous population. The pattern of initial friendly contact, followed by conflict and the reduction of the Aboriginal population, culminated in the survivors' acceptance and dependence on the British. This dynamic repeated itself as the frontier expanded across the continent.
The assumption of European cultural superiority and their definition of the world on their terms were central to the colonial takeover. The concept of "terra nullius," or the belief that the land belonged to no one, justified the British claim to the territory. However, this notion ignored the sophisticated land management practices and laws of the Aboriginal people, who had carefully and systematically managed the landscape to ensure a comfortable life and an abundance of food.
The Aboriginal people of Australia had sovereignty over their land, as demonstrated by their political organisation and understanding of sovereignty compatible with European interpretations. Despite this, the invasion and colonisation of Australia by the British led to the dispossession and devastating loss of life for the Aboriginal people, shaping the complex contemporary relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities.
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Artistic depictions
The arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in January 1788 marked the beginning of European colonisation in Australia. This momentous event was captured in several artistic works, providing a glimpse into what Australia looked like at that time.
One notable depiction is the watercolour drawings of Australian natural history owned by Robert Anderson Seton. This album contains copies of sketches from Governor John Hunter's sketchbook, titled "Birds & Flowers of New South Wales drawn on the spot in 1788, 89 and 90". These illustrations offer a detailed portrayal of the Australian environment, including the earliest known illustration of an emu by a European artist.
The artists of the First Fleet also included naval officers such as William Bradley and George Raper, who possessed formal training in sketching and watercolour painting. Bradley's journal, containing 29 watercolour paintings, offers an important artistic record of early European settlement in Australia. George Raper's work includes watercolours of Arthur's Vale from the 1790s, as well as illustrations of Australian flowers and fishes.
Another artistic depiction from this period is the painting by Francis Wheatley, which captures Captain Arthur Phillip, the commander of the First Fleet. Additionally, an engraving by E Le Bihan, created in 1888, illustrates the First Fleet entering Port Jackson in 1788.
The impact of the First Fleet on the Indigenous people of Australia, particularly the Eora, the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land in the Sydney area, is also reflected in some artistic works. Robert Dowling, an Australian-trained painter, is known for his distinctive portrayal of Aboriginal people in his commissioned portraits and history paintings. Dowling's works engage with the Indigenous population and address the complexities of colonisation in south-east Australia.
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Frequently asked questions
Prior to British colonisation in 1788, Australia was an "unnatural" landscape, carefully and systematically managed by its traditional owners to ensure a comfortable life with plenty of food and time for religion. However, the British considered the land to belong to no one ('terra nullius') and assumed that European culture was superior, leading to the displacement and dispossession of the Aboriginal people.
The colonisation of Australia by the British in 1788 had devastating consequences for the Aboriginal population. Diseases such as smallpox, influenza, and measles, to which they had no resistance, along with random killings, punitive expeditions, and organised massacres, resulted in a drastic decline in their numbers.
From the perspective of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the British invasion and colonisation of their land in 1788 was an act of invasion. Despite critics arguing that the term "Invasion Day" emphasises only one side of the story, international law at the time recognised the entry by force of one sovereign into the territory of another, which is what occurred when British governmental forces seized Aboriginal land.
