Australia – An Introduction

The Place

Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. In addition to the mainland, it is surrounded by many thousands of small islands and numerous larger ones. Australia is nearly 50% larger than Europe, but it has the lowest population density in the world – only 2.5 people (and many sheep and kangaroos) per square kilometre. This is due to the fact that despite the abundance of land in Australia, there are very few inhabitable areas in the middle of the country. Most people live on or near the coast, leaving the centre virtually empty.

Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Australia is a country of stunning natural beauty – the evidence of which is visible at every turn. Whether you live by the beach or in the city you will be spoilt for things to do and sights to see. The sunsets are breathtaking, the landscapes are dramatic and the architecture is astounding. Australia truly is a diverse country. There are not many places in the world that have endless golden beaches, dazzling mountains, tropical rainforests and exotic coral reefs all within a stone’s throw of the nearest cosmopolitan city or local town.

Australia is often referred to as the ‘Lucky Country’. And compared with many others round the world it certainly is lucky. It is a peaceful country that is proud of the rare fact that it has never had a civil war or had to fight for territory. The government is democratically elected, not ruled by the military and does not face any major political or religious issues. These facts, combined with the country’s spaciousness, excellent standards of living and pleasing climate, ensure that Australians experience a peaceful and high quality of life that is envied around the world.

The country consists of six states and two territories: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory.

This book will discuss living and working in all of the six states and Tasmania. However, the Northern Territory (NT) has been omitted for several reasons. Not only does it have the smallest population in Australia (approximately 165,000 which accounts for less than 1% of the country’s population) meaning that there are few opportunities for skilled workers, but the state capital of Darwin’s economy has suffered in recent years. In addition, NT does not offer the same pleasant living conditions as so many other parts of the countries as the climate is tropical with incredibly hot temperatures all year round. Sydney is Australia’s largest city, followed by Melbourne then Brisbane.

The History

Aboriginal Australia

The ‘Aborigine’ people have the longest continuous cultural history in the world, with origins dating back to the Ice Age. There is some disagreement between historians as to precisely when the first Aborigines arrived in Australia by sea from South East Asia, but it is estimated to be around 50,000 years ago. The Aborigines became part of the land they lived in and survived in hostile conditions in areas of Australia that might be considered uninhabitable. They were nomadic hunters and lived off what nature provided for them.

When the first Europeans came to Australia there were around 750,000 Aborigine people (or ‘primitive natives’ as the white folk rudely called them) who were happily living at one with the land that had been their home for thousands of generations. The Aborigine people consisted of around 500 tribes, each with their own dialect or language.

The Europeans

Portuguese and Spanish explorers often chanced upon Australia’s shores by accident, reporting back to their governments about a vast new land. This paved the way for new and ambitious explorers to take to the seas and in the late fifteenth century the Dutch set their sights on the southern hemisphere in search of new riches. It was Dutch captain William Jansz who discovered the Cape of York in 1606 but, claiming the land was too dry and arid to be of any commercial worth, sailed on.

Some 60 years on British seaman William Dampier landed on the northwest coast in 1688. He was soon followed by the infamous Captain James Cook, who extended a scientific voyage to the South Pacific in order to chart the east coast of the continent that had become known as ‘New Holland’. On 23 August 1770, after landing at Botany Bay (Sydney), Cook claimed the land for the British Crown and named it New South Wales. The plans were to establish this area as a new penal colony for petty British convicts.

When Captain Cook and the British arrived, the area around Sydney Harbour was occupied by around 3,000 Aborigines. Cook documented that his men were met with ‘warriors with spears’ who threatened them.

There was little attempt to understand the Aborigine people or their culture and beliefs. They were seen as primitive people who stood in the way of British colonisation. Sharing the land with the Aborigines was never an option for the British and, when they returned, they set upon a deliberate and destructive campaign to clear them from the country which continued for many years. Many died from the introduction of new diseases, such as smallpox, to their country and others were murdered or poisoned. Within just a few decades, the British managed to wipe out nearly an entire race of people who had peacefully lived in Australia for thousands of years.

The British started sending convicts to Australia in 1788, to the newly named area of Sydney. Over the next 30 years many more European settlers arrived and were encouraged to move further afield and establish new communities. New South Wales was opened up to free settlers in 1819 and by 1858 they ceased importing convicts to the country, which by this point was becoming a popular destination for immigrants. In the years since, Sydney Harbour has continued to play an important part in the development of the nation.