Australia – History Timeline

1770

James Cook explored the eastern coast of Australia and named it New South Wales.

1778

Great Britain made New South Wales a colony for prisoners.

1851

Gold was discovered in New South Wales and Victoria. 

1901

Australia became an independent country. Its capital was Melbourne.

1927

Canberra became the new capital of Australia

1967

The Australian government passed laws to help the Aborigines and started giving them back their land.

1999

Australia’s population voted to stay a monarchy. Elisabeth II remains the Head of State.

2000

Sydney organised the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Words

• capital = the city or town where the government gets together

• discover = to find something for the first time

• explore = to travel around a place and try to find out something about it

• independent =free

• law =the rules that a country has

• prisoner = a person who is in a place from which he cannot get away

• vote = to mark a paper to show that you want something