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| A brief HISTORY of New South Wales (+ACT) |
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| Scroll down for information about the History of Aboriginal People in NSW, European Settlement in NSW, History of ACT |
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Semi-nomadic ‘Koories’ (Aborigines from south eastern Australia) have
lived in New South Wales for at least 40,000 years, and possibly for much
longer. There were numerous clans and sub clans with different dialects and
each claiming ownership of a distinct area of land. Port Jackson, or Sydney
Cove as it soon became known, had an Aboriginal population of about 3000
when Captain James Cook arrived. Cook was respectful to the Aborigines that
he came into contact with in 1770 and reported back to Britain that they
were benign. However those in charge of the First Fleet arrivals in 1788
immediately tried to brutalise the local Aborigines into submission and this
oppressive approach spread with the advance of settlers into far flung NSW
during the 1800s. Diseases introduced by the Europeans, particularly
smallpox, decimated the Aboriginal population even more than deaths from
ongoing clashes with settlers. Today it is thought that more than 30,000
Aboriginal people live in Sydney, more than in any other city in Australia.
For further information about indigenous people in NSW visit the website of
the Koorie Heritage Trust Culture www.koorieheritagetrust.com
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On 28 April, 1770 the British ship Endeavour captained by James Cook
anchored for one week in Botany Bay. Sailing north, Cook sighted and named
Port Jackson (later to become Sydney’s magnificent harbour), but did not
enter. Four months later, at Possession Island off the tip of Cape York in
the north east of the country, Cook hoisted the British flag and claimed the
whole eastern side of the continent for George III under the name of
‘New South Wales’. Joseph Banks, a botanist on Endeavour, later
suggested that New South Wales would be a good place to confine thieves and
in 1788 the First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay under Captain Arthur Phillip
and a penal colony was established. The group of 750 male and female
convicts and around 400 sailors soon moved north to Port Jackson in search
of better fresh water sources. In 1813 explorers found a way through the
barrier of the Blue Mountains and settlers soon followed in their wake. In
the early 1800s New South Wales comprised nearly half of Australia, but
shrank as Victoria, South Australia and Queensland were created. In 1848 the
arrival of convicts into NSW ceased. The gold rush of the 1850s led to a
surging increase in the population and rapid development throughout the
colony. At Federation in 1901 this boom had levelled out with the two world
wars and the Depression stunting economic growth. During the 1960s
prosperity returned to Australia with NSW at its forefront and with some
peaks and troughs, this trend has continued.
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| The ACT largely came about as a compromise. In the lead up to Federation in 1901, when the Australian colonies became states, much argument took place about just where the national capital should be situated. Arch rivals Sydney and Melbourne would not hear of the other being the capital so it was eventually agreed that a completely new capital should be established. It was not until 1911 that the national government created the Federal Capital Territory in southern NSW, and two years later 'Canberra' was the name given to the proposed new capital city. In 1938 the territory was renamed the Australian Capital Territory. |
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| Truly Australia have attempted to give an honest and objective description of the topics covered on this page and have deliberately avoided regurgitating tourist office media releases. The information shown has been compiled from a variety of reputable sources and our own experiences. We check and review this information from time to time, but we assume no responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the details given. |
