This article discusses the history of Australia from the arrival of European explorers in the 16th century to the present. For a more detailed discussion of Aboriginal culture, see Australian Aboriginal peoples.

Australia, the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia’s capital is Canberra, located in the southeast between the larger and more important economic and cultural centres of Sydney and Melbourne. Australia.

The Aboriginal peoples developed their accommodation with the environment over a period of at least 40,000 years, during which time they had little contact with the outside world. When Britain settled New South Wales as a penal colony in 1788, it did so partly because of the continent’s remoteness.

Learn about the prehistory, discovery, and settlement of Australia from 30,000 years ago to 1850. Explore the role of aborigines, convicts, squatters, and immigrants in shaping the Australian society and economy.

Learn about the history of Australia from the earliest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the modern nation. Explore the key events, people and movements that shaped Australia's culture, society and identity.

Australia's written history commenced with Dutch exploration of most of the coastline in the 17th-century. British colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales.

This article discusses the history of Australia from the arrival of European explorers in the 16th century to the present. For a more detailed discussion of Aboriginal culture, see Australian Aboriginal peoples.

This is a timeline of Australian history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Australia and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see history of Australia.

Uncover the people, places and events that have shaped Australia's extraordinary history; from the first inhabitants to World Heritage sites and modern culture.