Australia: timeline and key events
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Culture
Arrival of Aboriginal peoples
The ancestors of Australian Aboriginals arrive on the continent approximately 50,000 years ago, representing one of the longest continuous human occupations on the planet.
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Other
First European exploration by Janszoon
Dutchman Willem Janszoon lands on the Cape York Peninsula in 1606, becoming the first documented European to explore the Australian coast.
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Politics
James Cook claims eastern Australia
Captain James Cook lands at Botany Bay on April 29, 1770 and officially claims the eastern coast of Australia in the name of the British Crown, opening the way to colonization.
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Politics
Arrival of the First Fleet, foundation of Sydney
On January 26, 1788, the British First Fleet commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip arrives at Sydney Cove, founding the first European penal colony in Australia.
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Politics
Rum Rebellion, Australia's first coup
In January 1808, officers of the New South Wales Corps overthrow Governor William Bligh in the Rum Rebellion, the only military coup in Australian history.
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Economy
Gold rush, population explosion
The discovery of gold in New South Wales and Victoria in 1851 triggers a massive gold rush, tripling Australia's population in ten years and profoundly transforming the economy and society.
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Politics
Eureka Rebellion at Ballarat
On December 3, 1854, miners risen at Ballarat clash with British soldiers under the Eureka Star banner, a founding act of Australian democratic and national sentiment.
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Culture
Capture and hanging of Ned Kelly
Bushranger Ned Kelly is captured at Glenrowan on June 28, 1880 after a final armored standoff, then hanged in Melbourne on November 11, becoming a rebel icon of Australian identity.
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Politics
Federation of Australia
On January 1, 1901, the six Australian colonies unite to form the Commonwealth of Australia, a self-governing federal dominion that acquires the status of a full nation.
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War
ANZAC landing at Gallipoli
On April 25, 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers (ANZAC) land at Gallipoli in Turkey, suffering heavy casualties in a disastrous campaign that forges the Australian national myth.
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Politics
Inauguration of Canberra, new capital
On May 9, 1927, the Duke of York inaugurates the provisional Parliament in Canberra, a city specially built as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne to house the new federal capital.
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War
Japanese bombing of Darwin
On February 19, 1942, the Japanese military bombs Darwin with 188 aircraft, causing over 200 deaths and demonstrating for the first time that Australian territory was directly threatened.
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Politics
Referendum granting citizenship to Aboriginals
On May 27, 1967, 90.77% of Australians vote to include Aboriginals in the national census and give the federal Parliament power to legislate for them, a major civil rights milestone.
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Culture
Opening of the Sydney Opera House
Queen Elizabeth II opens the Sydney Opera House on October 20, 1973, a building designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon that becomes Australia's architectural symbol and a world masterpiece.
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Politics
Constitutional crisis, dismissal of Whitlam
On November 11, 1975, Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismisses Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, triggering the most serious constitutional crisis in Australian history and a debate about the monarchy.
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Politics
Mabo ruling, Aboriginal land rights
On June 3, 1992, the High Court of Australia delivers the Mabo ruling recognizing customary land rights of Aboriginal peoples, overturning the legal concept of terra nullius that denied their pre-colonial presence.
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Sport
Sydney Olympic Games
Sydney hosts the Summer Olympic Games from September 15 to October 1, 2000, hailed as the best Games of the modern era. Australia finishes fourth in the medal standings with 16 gold medals.
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Other
Black Summer mega-fires, national catastrophe
Between September 2019 and March 2020, the Black Summer mega-fires ravage over 18 million hectares in Australia, kill billions of animals and devastate entire communities, a symbol of climate change.