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Australian History
The first humans are believed to have arrived in
Australia
over 40,000 years ago. These people arrived via land-bridges and/or sea
crossings from Southeast Asia, and became the indigenous people known
as "aborigines". An additional and distinct group of early
settlers, ethnically Melanesian, settled in the Torres Strait Islands
(the Strait between
Australia
and Papua New Guinea)
and the far North of Queensland.
Europeans first began to reach the area at the aroud the beginning
of the 17th century. The first undisputed sighting of the Australian
mainland was by the Dutch sea captain, William Janszoon in 1606.
The Dutch are known to have chartered the western and northern
shorelines of the continent during the 17th century, but made no attempt
at settlement of what they called at the time "New Holland".
In 1770, British navigator, James Cook mapped parts of the East coast of
Australia:
the region today known as New South Wales. Cook claimed the area
for Great Britain.
The first British colony was established in New South Wales on
January 26th,
a day that is now remembered as "Australia Day".
The British formerly claimed the western portions of
Australia
in 1859, and during the 19th century a whole series of separate British
colonies were established around the continent. Much of this British colonization
was based upon the transportation of convicts to penal colonies, and it
was only in 1848 that the transportation of convicts to New South Wales stopped.
The arrival of Europeans had a drastic effect on the indigenous aboriginal
population. This fell dramaticly from a high of 350,000 due to the
infectious diseases, forced resettlements, and other factors. Indeed,
although the issues remain highly controversial and disputed, some
historians have characterized the events of the period as genocide.
In 1850s, the European population increased further thanks to a gold rush,
and between 1855 and 1890, each of the six British colonies was separately
granted responsible government - while the the colonies were autonomous in
their internal affairs, they Britain
retained control of foreign affairs and defense.
In 1901,
the six colonies were united in a federation known as the Commonwealth of Australia.
Australia
participated in both World War I and World War II as part of the British
Empire. To many Australians the events of the world wars, especially
the Gallipoli campaign in World War I, and the Kokoda Track Campaign
in World War II, were important milestones in
Australia's
path to independent nationhood.
Legally,
Australia
first moved towards independence from Britain
with the Statue of Westminister in
1931
(although
Australia
did not ratify it until
1942,
but then back dated its effect to
1939),
which granted effective independence in most matters.
Australia
however did retain some constitutional ties with
Britain for another 40 years,
these only finally be severed with the passing of the Australia Act in
1986.
It should be noted that the British Queen Elizabeth II is also
Queen of Australia, and a
1999
national referendum rejected becoming a republic.
Here are some books about the history of
Australia:
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.
By Barbara Triggs
New South Wales University Press
Paperback (148 pages)
 | List Price: $29.95*
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This is the first book published solely about one of Australia's iconic marsupials: the wombat. It gives a full account of the wombat's way of life above and below the ground, its life cycle, maternal behaviour, mating and reproduction. |
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By David Lindenmayer
University of New South Wales Press
Paperback (160 pages)
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Gliders are an important--though seldom seen--group of marsupials whose long-term survival prospects are being seriously threatened by land-clearing and the logging of Australia's old-growth forests. This book deals with all six species of Australian gliders, which range in size from the tiny 12 gram Feathertail Glider to the 1.3 kilogram Greater Glider. This extraordinary group of animals possess a fascinating array of adaptations to their nocturnal and gliding existence, including eyes that act like a built-in rangefinder to help judge gliding distances, elongated limbs and specially developed toepads to help grip branches when landing, and a padded pouch to protect the young when mothers finish a glide and land on a tree trunk. The book describes the biology and ecology of some of Australia's most remarkable animals and touches on such diverse topics as the origins of gliders, their behavior, how to study gliders, and their conservation. |
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By Colin Stahel & Jane Burrell
Nswu Press
Paperback (117 pages)
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By Wayne Hudson
Allen & Unwin Pty LTD
Paperback (208 pages)
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Essays from some of Australia's leading historians showing how Australian history has been rewritten in the past twenty years to accommodate different notions of Australian identity. |
|
Books LLC
Paperback (44 pages)
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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Australia in the War of 19391945 is a 22 volume official history series covering Australia's involvement in the Second World War. The series was published by the Australian War Memorial between 1952 and 1977. Most volumes in the series were edited by Gavin Long, who also wrote three volumes in the series and the summary volume The Six Year War. In contrast to the Official History of Australia in the War of 19141918, this series has a greater focus on the war's impact upon domestic events, including volumes on operations of the Australian Government and contributions made by Australian industry and science. In addition, Australia in the War of 19391945 includes a series on the history of the Australian military's medical services, and the problems encountered by these services, during the war. Gavin Long in Lae, New Guinea in July 1944 while attached to the headquarters of New Guinea ForceIn April 1943 the Australian War Cabinet decided that plans should be made to write an official history of Australia's involvement in World War II. Gavin Long was appointed the general editor of the prospective series on the recommendation of C.E.W. Bean, the editor of the Official History of Australia in the War of 19141918, in January 1943 and presented a provisional plan of the series to the War Cabinet which approved it in July 1943. At this time it was envisioned that the series would consist of 14 volumes, each of about 500 pages. Long's provisional plan stated that the series' purpose was: The War Cabinet approved a revised plan shortly after the end of the war and after further refinements in 1950 it was decided that the series would comprise 22 volumes. A proposed volume on Australia's strategic policies, including negotiations with the British and ... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=5526379 |
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Penguin Books Ltd
Paperback (640 pages)
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"A NEW LITERARY HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA" IS A MAJOR RE-EVALUATION OF THE LITERATURE OF AUSTRALIA WRITTEN BY LEADING AUTHORITIES IN THEIR FIELD, ALL WRITINGS WITH A DESIRE TO COMMUNICATE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING TO THE GENERAL AND STUDENT READER. WHILE ITS STRUCTURE IS LOOSELY CHRONOLOGI- CAL IT DIPS INTO SPECIFIC THEMES AND ASPECTS THAT CHARACTERISE THE DEVELOP- MENT OF AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE. THE TITLE EMPHASISES THAT THE BOOK PLACES LITERTURE IN THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA AND IS BEING PUBLISHED WITH THE SUPPORT AND PROMOTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN BICENTENNIAL AUTHORITY. |
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By Bob Bessant
Australian Association for Research in Education
Unknown Binding (363 pages)
| Lowest Used Price: $72.59*
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By H. M. Saxby
Scholastic
Hardcover (848 pages)
| Lowest Used Price: $217.79*
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By R. J Wood
Hargreen Pub. Co
Hardcover (392 pages)
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By Roger C. Thompson
Oxford University Press, USA
Paperback (176 pages)
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This book examines how various religious beliefs and institutions have influenced Australia's history. While focusing on Christianity, Thompson also looks at Aboriginal spirituality as well as religions like Judaism and Islam. His study offers a greater understanding of Australian political cultures deriving from religious sectarianism and the often tense relationship between church and state. |
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