Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia has a long and complex history of exploration and colonisation by European nations, beginning in the 16th century. The Dutch were the first Europeans to land in Australia in 1606, and the continent was subsequently visited by French and British explorers. In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook charted the east coast of Australia and claimed it for Great Britain, marking the beginning of British colonial rule in the region. However, it was not until 1788 that the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Botany Bay to establish the penal colony of New South Wales, which later became known as Australia. The British claim was extended to the whole Australian continent in 1827, and the country gradually gained independence from the British Empire in the following decades, officially becoming the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country that claimed Australia | Great Britain |
| Year of claim | 1770 |
| Person who claimed Australia | Lieutenant James Cook |
| Name of the claimed land | New South Wales |
| Year of colonisation | 1788 |
| Number of ships in the First Fleet | 11 |
| Number of convicts in the First Fleet | 778 |
| Year Australia became a self-governing Dominion | 1901 |
| Year Australia gained control over its external policy | 1931 |
| Year Australia was recognised by the United States | 1940 |
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What You'll Learn
- The French were the first to claim sovereignty over Australia's west coast
- The British claimed Australia's east coast in 1770
- The British established the colony of New South Wales in 1788
- The British claim extended to the whole Australian continent in 1827
- The French showed interest in Australia in 1788
The French were the first to claim sovereignty over Australia's west coast
The French were indeed the first to claim sovereignty over Australia's west coast, which was known at the time as "New Holland". On 28 March 1772, the French explorer Louis Aleno de St Aloüarn landed on Dirk Hartog Island and became the first European to claim possession of Western Australia. The actual claim for French Western Australia, on behalf of King Louis XV, was made at Baie de Prise de Possession (meaning 'Bay of Taking Possession', later Turtle Bay) on 30 March 1772, by officer Jean Mengaud de la Hage, while St Aloüarn remained on the ship.
St Aloüarn's expedition was the first formal European claim of sovereignty over the west coast of Australia. However, it is important to note that neither the British nor the Dutch had issued a formal claim over this western part of New Holland at that time. The French claim was symbolised by raising the royal flag and burying a bottle containing a document stating what had occurred, alongside two silver écu coins.
Following St Aloüarn's expedition, other French explorers continued to show interest in Western Australia. In 1792, Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux named the St Alouarn Islands, southeast of Cape Leeuwin, after St Aloüarn. In 1826, an expedition to the south coast of Western Australia by Jules Dumont d'Urville caused British authorities to seek to prevent French settlement in Australia. A British Army force was dispatched from Sydney, establishing a permanent settlement at King George Sound.
Despite these early French claims and expeditions, it was the British who ultimately succeeded in colonising Australia. In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook charted and claimed the east coast of Australia for Britain. The First Fleet of British ships arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788, establishing the penal colony of New South Wales as part of the British Empire. Over time, the British established other colonies across the continent, leading to the gradual decline of the Aboriginal population and disruption of their cultures.
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The British claimed Australia's east coast in 1770
Cook's journey began in 1768, with the first sighting of the east coast in present-day Victoria on 19 April 1770. Over the next four months, he sailed and mapped the coast between Point Hicks and Possession Island in the Torres Strait. Cook's expedition faced numerous challenges, including battling reefs and monsoons, and nearly running out of supplies.
On 21 or 22 August 1770, Cook climbed to the highest point of Possession Island and claimed the east coast of the Australian continent for Britain, naming it New South Wales. In his journal, he expressed doubt about the commercial potential of the land, noting that it did not seem to produce anything that would attract Europeans to settle there.
The British claim included more than half of mainland Australia, specifically all of Australia eastward of the meridian of 135° East. It also encompassed all the islands in the Pacific between Cape York and the southern tip of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). This claim was later extended with the establishment of the colony of New South Wales in 1788, which included the arrival of over a thousand settlers and convicts.
The British claim and subsequent colonisation of Australia had a significant impact on the Aboriginal population, leading to their decline and the disruption of their cultures due to introduced diseases, violent conflict, and dispossession of their traditional lands.
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The British established the colony of New South Wales in 1788
The territory claimed by Britain for the colony of New South Wales included all of Australia eastward of the meridian of 135° East, reflecting the line of division between the claims of Spain and Portugal established in the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. This vast area encompassed more than half of mainland Australia, ranging from the dry interior to the wetter coastal plains, and included the present-day Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia, as well as New Zealand. The claim also included all the Islands adjacent in the Pacific between the latitudes of Cape York and the southern tip of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania).
The establishment of the colony of New South Wales was just the beginning of British colonisation in Australia. In the following years, the British established other colonies on the continent, and European explorers ventured into its interior. This period saw a decline in the Aboriginal population due to introduced diseases, violent conflict, and dispossession of their traditional lands. The colony of New South Wales gradually expanded and developed an economy based on farming, fishing, whaling, trade, and construction using convict labour. However, early efforts at agriculture were challenging due to unfamiliar soils and climate, and supplies from overseas were scarce. Between 1788 and 1792, about 3,546 male and 766 female convicts were landed at Sydney, and the population of emancipated convicts grew, pioneering a non-government private sector economy.
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The British claim extended to the whole Australian continent in 1827
The British claim over Australia dates back to 1770 when Lieutenant James Cook charted the east coast of Australia and claimed it for Great Britain. In January 1788, the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Botany Bay to establish the penal colony of New South Wales, which marked the beginning of the British colonial period in Australia. This colony, proclaimed by Governor Phillip on 7 February 1788, included all of Australia eastward of the meridian of 135° East, reflecting the line of division between the claims of Spain and Portugal established by the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. This claim encompassed more than half of mainland Australia and various islands in the Pacific.
In the following century, the British established additional colonies across the continent, leading to a decline in the Aboriginal population due to introduced diseases, violent conflicts, and the loss of their traditional lands. By the 1820s, the British colony had expanded westward, reaching the lightly wooded pastures beyond the Great Dividing Range and encroaching upon Aboriginal territories, resulting in conflicts with the local Aboriginal people.
To solidify their claim and deter French settlement, the governor of New South Wales, Ralph Darling, dispatched a military garrison to King George Sound in 1826. The following year, in 1827, Major Edmund Lockyer, the head of the expedition, formally annexed the western portion of the continent not previously claimed by Britain, thereby extending the British claim to the entirety of the Australian continent. This annexation marked a significant milestone in Britain's assertion of sovereignty over Australia.
The establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829 at modern-day Fremantle and Perth further cemented British colonization in Western Australia. However, it is worth noting that the British claim over the Australian continent was contested, as evidenced by the French expedition led by Admiral Jean-François de La Pérouse, which arrived at Botany Bay in 1788, demonstrating French interest in the region.
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The French showed interest in Australia in 1788
The French ships were well-provisioned and offered assistance to the British, who had scarce supplies. However, the offer was not accepted, and the French expedition left Botany Bay on 10 March, never to be seen again. The French explorer François Péron, who visited Sydney in 1802, reported his surprise to the French government that the Spanish had not protested against a colony that challenged their regional interests. This further highlights the French interest in Australia and their awareness of its strategic importance.
The French presence in Australia continued after 1788, with French people settling in the country in search of new opportunities. The La Pérouse expedition marked the beginning of French exploration in Australia and the Pacific region, and French naval expeditions continued to visit Australia in the early 19th century. For example, Nicholas Baudin's French naval expedition visited Sydney in 1802, and in 1803, Governor Phillip Gidley King established a settlement in Van Diemen's Land (modern-day Tasmania), partly to prevent potential French colonisation.
In 1826, the governor of New South Wales, Ralph Darling, sent a military garrison to King George Sound to deter the French from establishing a settlement in New Holland. This led to the formal annexation of the western portion of the continent by Britain in 1827. While the French showed interest in Australia and attempted to establish settlements, it was the British who successfully claimed and colonised the land, leading to the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
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Frequently asked questions
Great Britain claimed Australia in 1770. Lieutenant James Cook charted the east coast of Australia and claimed it for Great Britain.
Yes, a French expedition led by Louis Aleno de St Aloüarn became the first European to claim sovereignty over the west coast of Australia. However, no attempts were made to colonize the land.
The British claim included more than half of mainland Australia and "all the Islands adjacent in the Pacific" between the latitudes of Cape York and the southern tip of Tasmania.
The British claim was extended to the whole Australian continent in 1827 when Major Edmund Lockyer established a settlement on King George Sound (modern-day Albany).
The British colony in Australia was established as a penal colony. The First Fleet of British ships arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788 carrying over 700 convicts.
