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Australia was first colonised by the British in order to relieve the overly full British prisons. However, only relatively small parts of Australia were used as penal settlements. Indigenous Australians inhabited the rest of the continent as well.
The threat of Aboriginal attack, together with the fact that the continent was surrounded by water was considered enough insurance to prevent any convicts ever escaping back to England - which was the primary and original purpose of the colonies.
As well as Sydney, convict colonies were begun in Victoria, Moreton Bay (Queensland), Hobart and Newcastle. The colony of South Australia was never a penal settlement. Swan River (Perth) began as a free settlement, but convicts were sent there later as free labour.
It was decided that with the loss of the American colonies after the American war of independence that England needed a place to send convicts. Upon receiving favourable reports by Lieutenant Cook, on his return from his first expedition, that New South Wales (the name given to the eastern half of Australia) was an ideal place for a convict settlement and as the French were expanding in the Pacific, it would be advantageous to settle NSW rather than let the French get a foothold.
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What year did christianity start in australia?
Pretty much once the British colonized the place in 1788
When Great Britain colonized Australia who were the first people sent?
The first people sent to colonise Australia were convicts and the officers and marines sent to supervise them.
Which Oceania island was the first to gain independence from a colonizing nation?
The British colonized Australia or Oceania first.
Which British captain colonized Australia for Britain?
Captain Arthur Phillip was the one who colonised Australia, as he commanded the First Fleet of convicts.
What was the last populated continent to be colonized by the eurpeans?
Australia.
Was Australia colonized by Britain?
Yes, in 1788.
When was India first colonized?
India was first colonized in 1497
Who colonized both Australia and India?
I think the British did
Who colonized Australia during imperialism?
Great Britain.
Who are the Aboriginals and what did they do?
The aboriginals are indigenous people of Australia What did they do ? lived in Australia and then the British people came and colonized Australia.
Who first colonised Nigeria?
The british colonized nigeria.
What year was Australia first celebrated 1789 or 1801?
1801 was the year Australia day was first celebrated
