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The first people came from Indonesia to Australia 60.000 years ago. Not before 1606 something important happened. Then the Dutchman William Jansz, who was the first European on Australian ground, arrived at the west-coast of Cape York. Australia was called "New Holland" now. In 1642 Abel Tasman, who was a Dutchman, too, discovered another island beside Australia. It was called Tasmania. One year later he sailed around Australia, but he didn't want to settle there. The discoverers thought, it was a hostile and barren area. Engaged by the English King George III the sailor Captain Cook took possession of the eastern part of Australia.
English prisoners settled there in 1788, but in 1793 the first voluntary settlers came to Australia. Matthew Flinders was the first man who made a map form the Australian coast in 1801 until 1803. In the years from 1803 until 1836 more and more housing estates developed. The name Australia was mentioned for the first time in 1814. A popular happening was the discovery of gold in New South Wales in 1851. Seven years later Australia had a population of one million people, whose number was rising in the following years. Nowadays there live 19 million people. John McDuall was the first man who went from the south to the north of Australia. The way he covered is called "Stuart Highway" today. On the 1st January 1901 the "Commonwealth of Australia" was founded.
In the 1st World War fought against Germany. 350.000 Aussies took part, 60.000 of them died and 170.000 were wounded.
Having a war alliance in the 2nd World War with Great Britain Australia was attacked by Japan. After this war the "UNO" was founded.
The population grew within 20 years from 7.5 to 11 million inhabitants, because new immigration-waves came to Australia since 1945. Since 1951 the "School of Air" was opened for children living in the outback. "School of Air" means that they are given lessons by radio. In 1967 the Aborigines got the Civil Rights. Australia Dollars are the new currency since 1966. The "Land Rights Act" gave back the Aborigines' land in 1977. Eight years later Ayers Rock was a donation to the Aborigines, too. Celebrating the settlement of 200 years the Expo was in Brisbane in 1988. Three years later 256.00 Aborigines were registered in a census. In 2000 the Olympic summer games took place in Sydney. Canberra, the capital of Australia, was partly destroyed by a forest fire.
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