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The Great Australian Bight






The Great Australian Bight is a large bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.
The Bight's boundaries are from Cape Pasley, Western Australia, to Cape Carnot, South Australia - a distance of 1,160 km or 720 miles.



The coast line of the Great Australian Bight is characterised by cliff faces (up to 60 m high), surfing beaches and rock platforms, ideal for whale-watching.


Cape Le Grand National Park


The waters of the Great Australian Bight, despite being relatively shallow, are not fertile. While most continental shelves are rich in sea life and make popular fishing areas, the barren deserts north of the bight have very little rainfall, and what there is mostly flows inland, to dissipate underground or in salt lakes. In consequence, the Great Australian Bight receives very little of the runoff that fertilises most continental shelves and is essentially a marine desert. It is probably best noted for the large number of sharks that frequent its coastal waters, as well as the increasing numbers of Southern Right Whales that migrate within the region.


40 Tonne Southern Right Whale VS Sailing Boat

In areas, the southern ocean blows through many subterranean caves, resulting in blowholes up to several hundred metres from the coast.

The much more generally accepted name in Australia for the adjoining waterbody is the Southern Ocean rather than the Indian Ocean. Much of the Bight lies due south of the expansive Nullarbor Plain, which straddles the two Australian states of South Australia and Western Australia.




The settlements existing along the coastline of the Bight, such as Ceduna and Eucla have facilities to access the bight. Some other locations on the Eyre Highway or located on the Nullarbor do not have facilities or easy access.


Eucla







Fishing in Australia






Groote Eylandt lies approximately 50 km from the Northern Territory mainland and eastern coast of Arnhem Land (approximately 630 km from Darwin), opposite Blue Mud Bay. The island measures approximately 50 km from east to west and 60 km north—south, a total area of 2,326.1 km². It is generally quite low-lying, with an average height above sea level of 15 m, although Central Hill reaches an elevation of 219 meters.




It was named by the explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 and is Dutch for "Large Island" in a now-archaic spelling (nowadays it would be spelled Groot Eiland).


Tourism
The island has until recently been open to the public only with permission, and the local Aboriginal Land Council did not encourage tourism.

Groote Eylandt is part of the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Reserve. GEMCO, a BHP Billiton subsidiary, operates a large manganese mine near the community of Angurugu. In operation since the early 1960s, the mine produces more than 3.8 million tonnes annually - about a quarter of the world's total.

It is the homeland of, and is owned by, the Anindilyakwa people (who still speak the isolated Anindilyakwa language).



Dugong Beach Resort is working with the Anindilyakwa speaking people, helping to organise a diverse range of tours that will enhance your Groote Eylandt experience.

Groote Eylandt is a fantastic spot for fishing, with queen fish, trevally, tuna, billfish, mackerel, barracuda and many reef species in abundance.
The elusive, world famous Barramundi, growing to more than a metre in length inhabits the waters of Groote will certainly test your angling skills.

Sports Fishing Adventures: The best fishing holidays in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. You can save time and many by using our experience and knowledge.





Aboriginal Leaders



Bungaree (1775 - 24 November 1832) was an Aboriginal Australian from the Broken Bay area, who was known as an explorer, entertainer, and Aboriginal community leader. He became a familiar sight in colonial Sydney, dressed in a succession of military and naval uniforms that had been given to him. His distinctive outfits and notoriety within colonial society, as well as his gift for humour and mimicry, especially his impressions of past and present governors, made him a popular subject for portrait painters.

Bungaree first came to prominence in 1798, when he accompanied Matthew Flinders on a coastal survey as an interpreter, guide and negotiator with local indigenous groups.



He later accompanied Flinders on his circumnavigation of Australia between 1801 and 1803. Flinders was the cartographer of the first complete map of Australia, filling in the gaps from previous cartographic expeditions,and was the most prominent advocate for naming the continent "Australia". Flinders noted that Bungaree was "a worthy and brave fellow" who, on more than one occasion, saved the expedition.

Bungaree continued his association with exploratory voyages when he accompanied Phillip Parker King to north-western Australia in 1817.



In 1815, Governor Lachlan Macquarie dubbed Bungaree "Chief of the Broken Bay Tribe" and presented him with 15 acres (61,000 m2) of land on George’s Head. He was also known by the titles "King of Port Jackson" and "King of the Blacks". Bungaree spent the rest of his life ceremonially welcoming visitors to Australia, educating people about Aboriginal culture (especially boomerang throwing), and soliciting tribute. He died at Garden Island on 24 November 1832 and was buried in Rose Bay.Obituaries of him were carried in the Sydney Gazette and the Australian.

Bongaree in Queensland is named after him.



Australian male actors takeover Hollywood



Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting (from four nominations), three British Academy Film Awards (from five nominations), two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He is the foundation President of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.



Australian actors, first started appearing in American films a few years ago now, and no one raised much of a fuss. After all, there were only a few of them ( Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts, etc.). Stars such as Mel Gibson and Nicole Kidman became household names, but even so, their movie accents were so Americanized that many people didn’t know they were foreign. Back then, Australians who came here wanted to blend into the fabric of American society, except maybe Paul Hogan.

Then the flood gates opened in Hollywood, and some very talented Aussie male actors have emerged.

Here are a few you may have heard of !



Eric Bana (42) Born Eric Banadinović on August 9, 1968 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to a father of Croatian descent and a German mother. Mostly known for playing Rachel McAdams’ love interest in The Time Traveler’s Wife. His other movies include Black Hawk Down, Finding Nemo, Hulk, Troy, Munich, The Other Boleyn Girl, Star Trek and Funny People.

In 1995, Bana began dating a publicist and daughter of the chief justice of Australia, Rebecca Gleeson. The couple married in 1997 and now have two children, a son named Klaus – born August 1999, and a daughter named Sophia – born April 2002.


1. His first jobs include washing cars, pushing trolleys and serving drinks at a hotel

2. He loves racing bikes and cars

3. Big fan of Australian rules football

4. Bana began as a stand up comedian

5. His first car was an old 1974 Ford Falcon XB Coupe, purchased for $1000 at age 15

Favorite TV/ Movie appearance: The Time Traveler’s Wife.





Russell Crowe (46) Born Russell Ira Crowe on April 7, 1964 in Wellington, New Zealand and is of Polynesian, English, Scottish and Norwegian descent. Crowe is mostly known for movies like The Quick and the Dead, The Insider, Gladiator, Proof of Life, Master and commander, Cinderella man, American Gangster, Body of Lies, State of Play and Robin Hood.

While filming The Crossing, Crowe met Australian singer and actress, Danielle Spencer. The couple married on April 7, 2003 (Crowe’s 39th birthday) and now have two sons, Charles born December 21, 2003 and Tennyson born July 7, 2006.


1. Dropped out of high school

2. His favorite toy growing up was Action Man

3. Crowe plans to donate his brain to medical science when he dies

4. When his wife was pregnant with his first child, Crowe gave up drinking alcohol with her

5. In 2007 decided that he finally wanted to be baptised

Favorite TV/ Movie appearance: Master and Commander.




Hugh Jackman (42) born Hugh Michael Jackman on October 12, 1968 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia to English parents. He is mostly known for the role of wolverine in X-Men. Some of his other movies include: Swordfish, Kate and Leopold, Van Helsing, The Prestige, Flushed Away, Happy Feet, Real Steel and Australia.

Jackman married Deborra-Lee Furness in 1996 after meeting on an Australian TV show. Furness had two miscarriages after which the couple decided to adopt Oscar Maximilian – born May 15, 2000 and Ava Eliot – born July 10, 2005.


1. As a child he wanted to be a chef on a plane.

2. Jackman is left handed

3. One of his lifelong goals is to play Pharaoh in a Broadway production

4. His stunt double for Van Helsing and X-Men was his brother in law

5. In elementary school, he had a poster of Olivia Newton-John and he kissed the poster every day

Favorite TV/ Movie appearance: Van Helsing.




Simon Baker (41) Born July 30, 1969 in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. Baker is mostly known for playing Patrick Jane on the CBS drama The Mentalist but he has also appeared in shows such as L.A. Confidential and The Guardian, as well as movies like The Ring Two, The Devil Wears Prada and The Killer Inside Me.

Baker married Australian actress Rebecca Rigg, they have three children: Stella Breeze – born in 1993, Claude Blue – born in 1998 and Harry Friday – born in 2001. Two of the children’s god parents include Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts.


1. Became a U.S. citizen in 2010

2. As a teen, Baker competed on a state level in water polo and surfing

3. Used to work as a bricklayer before he became an actor

4. Met his wife on a blind date in 1991

5. Raised Roman Catholic

Favorite TV/ Movie appearance: The Mentalist.




Ryan Kwanten (34) Born Ryan Christian Kwanten on November 28, 1976 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and is of Dutch ancestry. Mostly known for playing Sookie’s brother on the HBO vampire drama, True Blood but he has also appeared in shows like Tru Calling, Summerland and Law & Order: SVU, as well as the movie Flicka and Legend of the Guardians.

Kwanten dated The Event’s Taylor Cole (Vicky Roberts) from 2006-2008 as well a country music singer named Whitney Duncan, who was the fifth place finalist on the fifth season of Nashville Star.


1. In 2010, the Australian GQ magazine named Kwanten as Man of the Year

2. His interests includ triathlon, swimming, tennis, golf, surfing and snow skiing

3. As a teen, he was the state welterweight boxing champ

4. Discovered acting by accident, when he wondered into his brother’s theater audition

5. He attended catholic school

Favorite TV/ Movie appearance: True Blood.




Liam Hemsworth (20) Born January 13, 1990 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Hemsworth is mostly known for playing Will Blakelee in The Last Song, along-side Miley Cyrus. He has also appeared in the Australian TV series Home and Away, McLeod’s Daughters, The Elephant Princess, the movie Knowing and is currently filming Arabian Nights.

Hemsworth started dating Miley Cyrus after they filmed The Last Song together. The young couple were together for fifteen months, then broke up in August 2010, got back together in September and broke up again by November.


1. Liam was already in a 5 year relationship while filming The Last Song

2. Has two older brothers who are also actors

3. Had a small part in the Expendables but was written out of the script

4. Lost the part of Thor to his brother Chris Hemsworth

5. Went back to Australia to break up with his girlfriend so he can date Miley Cyrus

Favorite TV/ Movie appearance: The Last Song.





Sam Worthington (34) Born Samuel Henry J. Worthington on August 2, 1976 in Godalming, Surrey, England and moved to Perth, Western Australia when he was only two months old. He is mostly known for playing Jake Sully in Avatar, Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation and Perseus in Clash of the Titans.

Worthington dated actress Maeve Dermody from 2004 to 2007 and since 2009 he has been dating stylist Natalie Mark. The couple is now keeping a low profile, living in New York.


1. Sold all his possessions for $2,000 when he was 30

2. Lived in his car until getting the part in Avatar

3. Was a finalist to play James Bond in Casino Royale before Daniel Craig was cast

4. Just like Simon Baker, he was a bricklayer before becoming an actor

5. Sam has blurred vision but does not wear glasses

Favorite TV/ Movie appearance: Avatar.



Julian McMahon Born Julian Dana William McMahon on July 27, 1968 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Mostly known for playing the role of Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck and Cole Turner in Charmed. His movies include Fantastic Four, Premonition and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

McMahon married Kylie Minouge’s little sister, Dannii Minogue in 1994 and divorced by 1995. In 1999 he married actress Brooke Burns, had one child with her and divorced in 2002.


1. McMahon enjoys surfing, biking, and cooking

2. Collects classic books

3. Has worked as gardener and ice cream salesman

4. His favorite beer is Aussie Victoria Bitter VB

5. Favorite song is “People are Strange” by The Doors

Favorite TV/ Movie appearance: Charmed.




Alex O’Loughlin (34) Born Alexander O’Lachlan on August 24, 1976 in Canberra, Australia. He is mostly known for playing detective Steve McGarrett in Hawaii Five-O. Other shows include The Shield and Moonlight, as well as the movies Whiteout with Kate Beckinsale and The Back Up Plan with Jennifer Lopez.

Had a son named Saxon when he was 20 that currently lives with his mother in Australia. O’Loughlin also dated Australian Actress, model and singer Holly Valance, who released the international single “Kiss, Kiss”.

Fun Facts:

1. Enjoys riding motorcycles, rock climbing and playing his guitar

2. Was a fan of the heavy-metal band Iron Maiden as a kid

3. His parents got divorced when he was two years old

4. Is of Irish and Scottish descent

5. Is a big fan of vampires

Favorite TV/ Movie appearance: Hawaii Five-O.



Chris Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. Most notable for protraying Thor in the Marvel Studios film Thor. Hemsworth is set to reprise his role as Thor in the upcoming films The Avengers in 2012 and Thor 2 in 2013. He also starred as Kim Hyde in the Australian soap opera Home and Away.

His older brother Luke and younger brother Liam are also actors, and have had recurring roles as Nathan Tyson and Josh Taylor on Neighbours, respectively








The Aussie Salute





The Aussie salute is the waving of one's hand in front of the face at regular intervals in order to prevent flies from landing on it, or entering your nose or mouth.




Flies on her clacker!


The bush fly, is the species that is the cause of the Aussie salute as opposed to other flies such as the housefly, as the bush fly is attracted to bodily fluids such as sweat, snot, saliva, blood and eyes.




Many overseas tourists spit the dummy when they visit the outback, not realising that the Aussie fly and his relatives are very sociable, and will accompany them on their adventures all day long.
 Its not long before their packing their cork hat, and heading back to their fly proof beach front hotels, beauty spas and champagne. 
.


Sticky Fly!

The Aussie salute is effective only as long as the flies are not too sticky, and that once a fly has tasted sweat, hand waving is generally useless at encouraging it to leave, with physically wiping the fly off being required.


No Wucking Furries!!

Historically in Australia, the cork hat was worn to discourage flies but has been replaced by insect repellents and mesh masks in areas where the flies swarm.







Fraser Island Queensland K'gari paradise


Fraser Islands 75 mile beach Highway


Fraser Island gives visitors, the opportunity to observe a ‘real Australian dingo’, whether up close, or from the window of a tour bus. There is never a dull moment, when dingoes venture out onto the pristine beach's of Fraser Island.






Fraser Island  was once called 'K'gari' in the Butchulla people's language (pronounced 'Gurri'). It means paradise.
According to Aboriginal legend, when humans were created and needed a place to live, the mighty god Beiral sent his messenger Yendingie with the goddess K’gari down from heaven to create the land and mountains, rivers and sea. K’gari fell in love with the earth’s beauty and did not want to leave it. So Yendingie changed her into a heavenly island – Fraser Island.

Aboriginal people regarded dingoes as being equal to man


Archaeological research and evidence shows that Aboriginal Australians occupied Fraser Island at least 5000 years ago. There was a permanent population of 400-600 that grew to 2000-3000 in the winter months due to abundant seafood resources. The arrival of European settlers in the area was an overwhelming disaster for the Butchulla people. European settlement in the 1840s overwhelmed the Aboriginal lifestyle with weapons, disease and lack of food. By the year 1890, Aboriginal numbers had been reduced to only 300 people. Most of the remaining Aborigines, the Butchulla tribe, left the island in 1904 as they were relocated to missions in Yarrabah and Durundur, Queensland. It is estimated that up to 500 indigenous archaeological sites are located on the island.


The dingo was so sacred and revered, that Aboriginal women nursed dingo pups from their own breasts.


Fraser Island is an island located along the southern coast of Queensland, Australia, approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Brisbane. Its length is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) and its width is approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi). It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1992. The island is considered to be the largest sand island in the world at 1840 km². It is also Queensland's largest island, Australia's sixth largest island and the largest island on the East Coast of Australia.

Fraser Island has over 100 freshwater lakes, as well as the second highest concentration of lakes in Australia after Tasmania. The freshwater lakes on Fraser Island are some of the cleanest lakes in the world.


Fraser Island Lake McKenzie

Mammals found on Fraser Island include swamp wallabies, echidnas, ringtail and brush tail possums, sugar gliders, squirrel gliders, phascogales, bandicoots, potoroos, flying foxes and dingoes. The Swamp Wallaby finds protection from dingos in the swampy areas which have dense undergrowth. There are 19 species of bats which live on or visit Fraser Island.

Estimates of the number of visitors to the island each year range from 350,000 to 500,000. The chance of seeing a dingo in its natural setting is one of the main reasons people visit the island.


How to get there

Follow the Maryborough - Hervey Bay Road from Maryborough. Continue past the Bundaberg turn off on the left, and turn right into Booral Road. Continue past the General Store and reach the waterfront. Look for the Kingfisher Bay Resort Barge. Bookings have to be made in advance.










David Boon cricket legend





Boony was known for his portly figure and distinctive moustache. His international playing career spanned the years 1984–1995,  Boony scored over 7,000 runs at Test level, cricket and made over 100 appearance for both the Test and One Day International Australian side. After leaving the international game he went to England to captain Durham before retiring to become a national selector.

Boony was a right-handed batsman and a very occasional off-spin bowler, he also played First-class cricket for his home state of Tasmania. At the age of 17, David Boon made his first-class debut for Tasmania during the state's second season of Sheffield Shield cricket, 1978-79.



1993 Boony makes 164 runs not out at Lords

 Boony is a legendary Australian Cricketer, but also a legend for his drinking exploits. He is alleged to have once consumed 52 cans of beer on a flight from Sydney to London in 1989, in a story that is considered by some to be part of Australian sporting legend. This has never been confirmed by Boon however though Geoff Lawson did confirm it.










Skippy the Bush Kangaroo Aussie Icon



Skippy the Bush Kangaroo is an Australian icon and a television series made for children, produced from 1966–1968, telling the adventures of a young boy and his intelligent pet kangaroo, in the (fictional) Waratah National Park in Duffys Forest, near Sydney, New South Wales.

The star of the show was Skippy, a wild female Eastern Grey Kangaroo, befriended by Sonny Hammond, the younger son of the Head Ranger of Waratah National Park. The stories revolved around events occurring in the park, including its animals, dangers arising from natural hazards in the Park's environment, and the actions of various visitors to the Park.




The clicking sounds made by Skippy during the show, are vocal sound effects, rather than the natural vocalisations of a kangaroo, with chocolate, chewing gum or grass (and in some cases, an elastic band around the lower jaw, used to make Skippy move her mouth. Between nine and fifteen kangaroos were actually used for each show. The apparent manual dexterity was often faked using separate arms in the hands of human operators.

The series was dubbed into Spanish in Mexico, where it is known as Skippy el canguro, and distributed to most Spanish-speaking countries, including Cuba and Spain, countries where the show became very popular. The series also crossed the Iron Curtain and was aired in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s and is currently still being broadcast in Iran. However, the show was forbidden to be shown in Sweden where psychologists believed that the show would mislead children into believing animals could do things that they could not.







Aboriginal dance


Goomblar Wylo is an Australian Aboriginal, whom performs traditional dances, plays the didgeridoo, clap sticks, story telling and much, much more. Goomblar has travelled throughout the world performing in schools, universities, conferences, hotels and resorts.

Traditional Indigenous Australian dance was closely associated with song and was understood and experienced as making present the reality of the Dreamtime. In some instances, they would imitate the actions of a particular animal in the process of telling a story. For the people in their own country it defined to roles, responsibilities and the place itself. These ritual performances gave them an understanding of themselves in the interplay of social, geographical and environmental forces. The performances were associated with specific places and dance grounds were often sacred places. Body decoration and specific gestures related to kin and other relationships (such as to Dreamtime beings with which individuals and groups). For a number of Indigenous Australian groups their dances were secret and or sacred, gender could also be an important factor in some ceremonies with men and women having separate ceremonial traditions.

Australia's Aboriginal people have no written language. The legends and the stories of their past have been kept alive in song and dance.



The term Corroboree is commonly used in general Australian culture to refer to Australian Aboriginal dances, however this term has its origins among the people of the Sydney region. In a number of places Australian Aboriginal people will perform "corroborees" for tourists.

In the latter part of the 20th century the influence of Indigenous Australian dance traditions has been seen with the development of concert dance, particularly in contemporary dance with the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association providing training to Indigenous Australians in dance and the Bangarra Dance Theatre.

The Djilpin Dancers are seen here performing at the Darwin Festival, a must-see event if you're ever in the Northern Territory in the dry season!


Best places to rent Australia




Finding the right place to live will make the difference between living in a place you look forward to getting home to, or constantly working out how to break the lease!


Many choices about where we live are made because of our familiarity and existing knowledge of a particular area, in which case much of your decision is already made, but in the event you need to find somewhere new and unfamiliar to live, here are some helpful reminders of the physical and emotional aspects of choosing your next perfect rental property:

Take heed of your first impressions as you drive around the corner, into the street and pull up near the property. These will give you an immediate comfort rating. Have a look at the street, the lighting, litter, people on the street and the availability of parking spaces.

Finding that sense of community where you live will make you feel comfortably part of a neighbourhood. Look at the quality of the gardens, their maintenance and the neighbours' gardens for that sense of pride and cleanliness. Check out the external features of the building, is it in good repair, does it feel inviting? Are other properties in the street looked after?



If you don't have off street parking, your security at night time will be important. Check out the lighting, security access and dark areas, do you feel safe? This will also apply to your visitors.

How far are the nearest local shops, schools, pharmacy, deli, pub, cafes and restaurants? Are they in walking distance? If not in walking distance how will you get there? Where and how far is the nearest public transport of buses and trains?

If you like to walk and exercise, find out where the nearest parks, walkways, cycle tracks and gyms are.

Remind yourself what you wanted from your neighbourhood, was it for caf'e lifestyle or easy beach access or peace and quiet in your garden? Don't let a particular rental price or incentive compromise your real desire.

If you work from home and like your remote, then be sure to ask around or ring your telecommunications provider to find out if ADSL is installed for your entertainment and high speed internet access.

Some like it busy, some like it quiet. Consider 'possible noise factors' such as trains, planes, dogs, neighbours, kids playground, clubs, shortcuts, thorough fares and building projects, as well as the overall pollution effect.

Lastly, notice the people coming and going as they are likely to be your new neighbours and friends. Do you fit in? Is this demographic what you were looking for? The best possible feel you could get about an area is to stop and chat with a few of the locals, try out your conversation skills to obtain some on the ground feedback.


It's a good idea to visit the property at night time also; the people, traffic and car space situation could be different.

Go with your instinct and remember that one of the great advantages of renting is that you can move out after 6 or 12 months if you are not happy.

Australias #1 rental property website is  Rent.com.au they can provide furnished homes and apartments online, with availability and property feature search tools.  They can also instantly get your rental property matches sent direct to your email.







Rent.com.au can also list your property for rent and have great advice and useful information and services for landlords on how to manage their property.


 




Youth hostels Australia




Each year, 35 million overnights are spent in hostels around the world. There are now more than 80 participating countries, representing over 4,000 hostels worldwide. Over 100 of these hostels are in Australia, and there are more than 70,000 Australian members continuing the tradition at home and abroad.


View from YHA rooftop Sydney


YHA Australia is part of the world's largest backpacker accommodation network, Hostelling International (HI), providing more than 4,000 YHA hostels in over 60 countries. YHA Australia is a membership-based, not for profit association, with all profits going back into the hostels and the experience they provide.






YHA hostels today are the mainstay of budget travelers. Offering much more than a bed, you're likely to find the 'noughties' traveller using the hostel's wifi connection on their laptop or iPhone to update their blog and share videos with friends back home. Movie theatres, pizza nights, free pancake breakfasts, wildlife sanctuaries and swimming pools are just some of the things you'll discover in YHA hostels in Australia today.






Aboriginal Timeline 1600 - 1900





1606


Dutchman Willem Jansz and his ship Duyfken explore the western coast of Cape York Peninsula and were the first Europeans to have contact with Australian Aboriginal people. There were clashes between the two groups.



The Spaniard Luis Vaez De Torres sailed through Torres Strait.



1623

Dutchman Jan Carstenz described several armed encounters with Aboriginal people on the northern coast of Australia. Shots were fired and an Aboriginal man was hit.



1697

Englishman William Dampier visited the west coast of Australia.



1768

Anticipating that Captain Cook would discover the great southern land he was issued with special instructions to "with the consent of the natives take possession of convenient situations in the name of the King... or if you find the land uninhabited Take Possession for His Majesty".



1770

April 29 Captain James Cook in the Endeavour entered Botany Bay. After an encounter with local people in Botany Bay Cook wrote that "all they seem'd to want was us to be gone".



1786

August 18 the British Government chose Botany Bay as a penal colony.



1788

18 January Captain Arthur Phillip entered Botany Bay. A total of nine ships sailed into Botany Bay over three days.



Aboriginal people watched the arrival.



25 January Phillip sailed to Port Jackson and between 25 January and 6 February 1 000 officials, marines, dependents and convicts came ashore.



Frenchman La Perouse and two ships arrive at Botany Bay and remain until March 10.



Resistance and conflict between Europeans and Aborigines begins almost immediately.




Early February the French fire on Aboriginal people at Botany Bay.



29 May the first conflict between the First Fleet arrivals and Aboriginal people takes place near Rushcutters Bay, Sydney. Two convicts are killed.



December, Arabanoo is the first Aboriginal person captured by Europeans.



Captain Phillip estimates that there are 1 500 Aboriginal people living in the Sydney Region.



1789

April, smallpox decimates the Aboriginal population of Port Jackson, Botany Bay and Broken Bay. The disease spread inland and along the coast.



The settlement spreads to Rose Hill, later called Parramatta.



November, Governor Phillip captures two Aboriginal men - Bennelong and Colebee. Colebee escapes but Bennelong is kept at Government House for five months.



1790

Bennelong and a boy named Yemmerrawanie are taken to England by Phillip. Bennelong meets George III. Yemmarrawanie dies in England. In 1795 Bennelong returns to Australia.



1790

September, Pemulwuy spears Phillip's gamekeeper, John McEntire, and Phillip orders the first punitive expedition. Pemulwuy and his son Tedbury led Aboriginal resistance in the Sydney area in a guerrilla campaign lasting several years.



1791

Time-expired convicts granted land around Parramatta.



1792

Colonists spread to Prospect Hill, Kissing Point, Northern Boundary, the Ponds and the Field of Mars.



1794

By August, 70 colonists farming on the Hawkesbury. Aboriginal people dispossessed of their land.



1797

Punitive party pursue Pemulwuy and about 100 Aboriginal people to Parramatta. Pemulwuy is wounded and captured but later escapes.



1798

Colonists dispossess Aboriginal people of land around Georges River flats and Bankstown.



1799

Two Aboriginal boys killed near Windsor by five Hawkesbury settlers. A court martial found them guilty but referred sentencing to the Secretary of State for Colonies and the men are released on bail. Governor Hunter is recalled. Acting-Governor King is instructed to pardon the men.



Beginning of a six-year period of resistance to white settlement by Aboriginal people in the Hawkesbury and Parramatta areas. Known as the 'Black Wars'.



1801

April, Governor King orders Aboriginal people gathering around Parramatta, Georges River and Prospect Hill "to be driven back from the settler's habitation by firing at them".



1802

June 30, Proclamation stating: "His Majesty forbids any act of injustice or wanton cruelty to the Natives, yet the settler is not to suffer his property to be invaded or his existence endangered by them, in preserving which he is to use the effectual, but at the same time the most humane, means of resisting such attacks".



Shortly after this Pemulwuy is shot by two settlers. Tedbury continues the resistance.



1803

Settlements established near present-day Melbourne at Port Phillip and in Tasmania at Risdon, on the Derwent River by Governor King. The settlement at Port Phillip is abandoned.



1804

Colonists are authorised by Lt. Moore to shoot 50 Aboriginal people at Risdon Cove in response to Aboriginal resistance. Hostilities increase - the slaughter of Aboriginal people in Van Diemen's Land has begun.



1804

Most of the Cumberland Plain west of Sydney is occupied by colonists. The Darug people are being dispossessed of their land.



1805

Aboriginal people trying to defend their land, kill colonists. A Government order on 19 April directed Captain William Bligh to send soldiers "for their [colonists] protection against those uncivilised insurgents".



20 July the colony's Judge-Advocate, Richard Atkins when referring to whether or not Aboriginal people could be witnesses or criminals before a court stated that Aboriginal people "are at present incapable of being brought before a criminal court - and that the only mode at present when they deserve it, is to pursue them and inflict such punishment as they merit".



1810

Tedbury is wounded but there are no records of what happened to him.



1813

Colonists, assisted by Aboriginal people, cross the Blue Mountains. Create new hostilities as they pass through Aboriginal lands.



1814

The establishment of a "Native institution at Parramatta" by Governor Macquarie to "civilise, educate and foster habits of industry and decency in the Aborigines". An annual 'feast' is also begun to reunite parents with children, who have been separated from their parents to attend the institution.



1815

Remnants of the Broken Bay Aboriginal people are established on a reserve at George's Head.



1816

Attacks on farms by Aboriginal people on the edge of Sydney. Macquarie sends Captain James Wallis with three detachments of the 76th Regiment to arrest 'offenders'. They attack a camp near Appin at night and 14 Aboriginal people are killed including Carnabyagal.



4 May Macquarie announces a set of regulations controlling the free movement of Aboriginal people.



No Aboriginal person is to appear armed within a mile of any settlement and no more than six Aboriginal people are allowed to 'lurk or loiter near farms'.



Passports or certificates are issued to Aboriginal people "who conduct themselves in a suitable manner", to show they are officially accepted by Europeans.



Five areas are set aside by Macquarie as agriculture reserves for the settlement of Aboriginal people from the Sydney area. The Aboriginal people who settle on these lands are given seed, tools, stores and clothes for six months. Convicts are assigned to help with cultivation of crops.



1819 - 1820

Rapid expansion of the colony into present day Queensland. A penal settlement set up a Redcliffe but moved to present day Brisbane three months later.



Colonists spread west of the Blue Mountains and establish stations.



There are a number of large scale killings as conflict over dispossession of land and erosion of hunting rights continue.



1824

'Saturday' leads Aboriginal resistance in the Bathurst area.



August, martial law is proclaimed in the Bathurst area when seven Europeans are killed by Aboriginal people and the conflict is seen as a serious threat. Soldiers, mounted police, settlers and stockmen carry out numerous attacks on Aboriginal people. As many as 100 Aboriginal people are killed. Martial law stops in December.



August - a Mission is established at Lake Macquarie, north of Sydney.



1827

John Oxley leads an expedition to the Liverpool Plains west of present day Tamworth, NSW. This area is settled in the 1830s, with an increase in settlers during the 1837-1845 drought, when more land is needed. Kamilaroi people are dispossessed of their land.



1829

A colony is set up in Perth, on the south-west coast of Australia.



1830

October beginning of the Black Wars in Tasmania. Governor Arthur tries unsuccessfully to drive all the remaining Aboriginal people in eastern Van Diemen's land on to the Tasman Peninsula. 2 200 men form a 'Black Line'. It cost 5000 pounds and only two Aboriginal people are caught - an old man and a young boy.



1834

October, Governor Stirling leads a party of men to a site near present day Pinjarra, on the Swan River and attacks 80 Aboriginal people. One of Stirling's men dies and many Aboriginal people are killed. Official reports say that 14 Aboriginal people were killed but Aboriginal accounts suggest a whole clan was decimated in the attack. This became known as the 'Battle of Pinjarra'. The battle was an attempt to punish Aboriginal people south of Perth, after conflict with settlers the death, in April, of Hugh Nesbit.



The Aboriginal people are unsuccessful in defending their land and are dispossessed.



1835

John Batman attempts to make a 'treaty' with Aboriginal people for Port Phillip Bay, near present day Melbourne by 'buying' 243 000 hectares with 20 pairs of blankets, 30 tomahawks, various other articles and a yearly tribute. Governor Bourke does not recognise the 'treaty' and the purchase is voided. This is the only time colonists attempt to sign a treaty for land with Aboriginal owners.



The Dunghutti people of north coast NSW are now confined to 40 hectares of land on the Bellwood Reserve, near present day Kempsey. They previously owned 250 000 hectares.



October, George Augustus Robinson, who sees himself as a protector of Aborigines, takes over the European style settlement on Flinders Island in Bass Strait. He spent much time convincing the last Aborigines on Van Diemen's Land to move to Flinders Island. After most Aboriginal people have died from various diseases the protectorate is abandoned in December 1849.



1836

Port Phillip District established. As the settlement expands Aboriginal lives are severely disrupted and people die in great numbers.



Colony of South Australia is founded. A protector of Aboriginal people is appointed but the Kaurna people, near Adelaide, are unable to maintain life as a group because of the expanding settlement and loss of their land.



1836 - 1837

A select committee of the British House of Commons said that Aboriginal people had a "plain right and sacred right" to their land.



The committee reports genocide is happening in the colonies.



1837

Conflict between Aboriginal people and settlers, stockmen and shepherds increases on the Liverpool Plains between 1827 - 1837.



1837 - 1845

Drought on the north-west plains of NSW. Drying up of creeks and waterholes, forces Aboriginal people to kill sheep and cattle on European holdings, and move towards settlements looking for food.



1838

January, Major Nunn's campaign. Mounted police, mostly European volunteers, set out in response to conflict on the Liverpool Plains, north central NSW. At Vinegar Hill, a site on 'Slaughterhouse Creek', 60 - 70 Aboriginal people are reported killed. The only European casualty is a corporal, speared in the leg.



11 April, "Faithful Massacre" at Owens Creek, Victoria. Ten Europeans travelling south from NSW with G. P. Faithful, killed by Aboriginal people.



'The Bushwack' or 'The Drive', against Aborigines, is initiated by squatters and their stockmen to clear the Myall Creek area, near present day Inverell, NSW.



On 10 June, the 'Myall Creek Massacre' occurs. 12 heavily armed colonists rounded up and brutally kill 28 Aborigines from a group of 40 or 50 people gathered at Henry Dangar's Station, at Myall Creek. The massacre was believed to be a payback for the killing of several hut keepers and two shepherds. But most of those killed were women and children and good relations existed between the Aboriginal people and European occupants of the station. 15 November, 11 Europeans were charged with murder but are acquitted. A new trial is held and seven men are charged with murder of one Aboriginal child. They are found guilty and hanged in December.



Competition between Aboriginal people and colonists develops for water on Bogan River, west of present day Dubbo. Seven Europeans and their overseer are killed on William Fee's outstation. Border Police formed after the Myall Creek Massacre, arrive from Bathurst and almost all men of the group involved are killed.



Reports of poisoning of Aboriginal people on 'Tarrone' near Port Fairy, West Melbourne and 'Kilcoy' north-west Moreton Bay. Flour is poisoned and left in shepherds' huts on 'Kilcoy' in the expectation that Aboriginal people now dispossessed of hunting ground would take it.



1842

Governor Bourke of NSW ordered the establishment of the Native Police, in the Port Phillip district. They are trained to disperse groups of Aboriginal people. This force is disbanded in 1853.



Native Police forces operated punitive expeditions and attacked and killed many station Aborigines. The force was lead by European officers. The force played a significant role in later years, in 'settling' hostilities in the Macleay and Clarence River regions of NSW. Native Police were used extensively against Aborigines in Queensland. They were later disbanded and replaced by civil police, following increasing concern within non-Aboriginal communities concerning the forces' activities. The force was finally disbanded in Queensland in 1897.



1843

A number of squatters abandon their stations because of continued resistance of Aboriginal people in defence of their land which includes attacks on properties.



1845

About 50 remaining Aboriginal people from the Sydney and Botany Bay peoples are living at a camp on Botany Heads.



1846

Native Police are used to 'settle' hostilities on the northern plains of NSW. Hostilities lessen in the area.



1848

The Board of National Education, established in NSW states "It is impractical to provide any form of education for the children of blacks".



Native Police are introduced into northern regions with headquarters at Callandoon near present day Goondiwindi, on the Macintyre River.



1849

A select committee of the NSW Government claimed that protectors of Aboriginal people serve no purpose and should be abolished.






Land Commissioner McDonald reported widespread food shortages among Aborigines in the Murray District after their displacement by pastoralists who took their land for sheep stations.



December, Flinders Island Protectorate in Bass Strait abandoned after most Aboriginal people have died from various diseases.



1851

The Colony of Victoria established.



1857

27 October The Jiman people kill 11 Europeans at Martha Fraser's Hornet Bank station on the Dawson River, central Queensland. Local squatters with the help of the Native Police later shoot several Jiman men.



1860

A Board of Protection is established in Victoria and continues until 1957. During the next 20 years nearly 11 000 hectares of land are 'temporarily reserved'. By 1900, most Victorian Aboriginal people are placed on reserves.



1861

17 October, a party of settlers led by Horatio Spencer Wills, is attacked by Aboriginal people at the new Cullin-la-ringo station, near Emerald, Queensland. Wills and 18 Europeans are killed. Native Police deserters are said to be the ringleaders. A punitive party set out immediately and numerous Aboriginal people were slaughtered.



1867-1868

Aboriginal cricket team tours England. Some members of the team find it difficult to adapt to the climate and have to return home. One team member dies.



1868

150 Aboriginal people are killed resisting arrest in the Kimberley.



1869

A settlement is established in Darwin.



Punitive expeditions are common in the north and north-west until the 1930s.



Act for "Protection and Management of Aboriginal Natives" is passed in Victoria.



1874

The Maloga Mission is established as a refuge for the 9 000 surviving Aboriginal people in NSW.



1876

8 May Truganini dies in Hobart aged 73. The Tasmanian Government does not recognise the Aboriginal heritage of people of Aboriginal descent and claims the last Tasmanian Aboriginal person has died. A falsehood many still believe today.



1870

In the early 1870s the first Aboriginal children are enrolled in the public schools in NSW. By 1880 there are 200 Aboriginal children in school in NSW.


1873

 Those who made it through Cooktown on their journey to the fabled Palmer River Gold diggings then faced perils that would make most of us turn around and head for home at a very rapid rate.
The greatest peril was from the local natives, the Merkin tribe. These people were fierce fighters. Not for them to throw a few spears and run away. Upon first encountering white men they attacked in waves, holding men back in reserve and probing the flanks of the defending white men's camp. They poisoned their spears by rubbing the tips in rotting carcasses and only had to scratch their opponents to kill them.



1877

The Hermansburg Mission in established on the Finke River, Northern Territory by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia and the Hermannsburg Mission Society of North Germany.



1880

South Australia introduces a Protection Policy.



1881

A 'Protector of Aborigines' is appointed in NSW. The Protector has the power to create reserves and to force Aboriginal people to live on them.



The Minister for Education establishes separate schools for excluded Aboriginal children. The Protector attempts to provide reserves with a building where a school can be run by the Department of Education. Where this is not possible, Aboriginal children can attend the local public schools providing they are "habitually clean, decently clad and that they conduct themselves with propriety, both in and out of school".



1883

The Aboriginal Protection Board is established in NSW. Aboriginal people at Maloga Mission on the Murray River are moved to Cumeroogunga. By the end of the 1880s several reserves have been established in NSW. Reserves are set up far enough away from towns so that contact with Europeans is limited. Segregation is a key part of Aboriginal Protection Policy.



White parents object to about 16 Aboriginal children attending a public school at Yass. The Minister for Education, George Reid, stops the children from attending school stating, in general that although creed or colour should not exclude a child "cases may arise, especially amongst the Aboriginal tribes, where the admission of a child or children may be prejudicial to the whole school".



1886

Western Australian Aborigines Protection Act provided for a Protection Board.



The Victorian Aborigines Protection Act excludes "half castes" from their definition of an Aboriginal person. As a result nearly half the residents of the stations have to leave their homes.



1890

Jandamarra, an Aboriginal resistance fighter, declares war on European invaders in the West Kimberley and prevents settlement for six years.



In the 1890s Western Australia gives increased law enforcement powers to its justices of the peace who can sentence Aborigines to three years gaol or 24 lashes for offences such as sheep stealing. However, no Western Australian jury convicts a European for killing an Aboriginal, even though in one case a European had tied an Aboriginal person to his horse and dragged the man along the ground to his death.



1891

2 May - a man hunt lasting almost three years followed the spearing by Aboriginal people of S Murskiewicz at Dora Dora Creek, 68km from Albury. The two Aboriginal people responsible were finally caught in Queensland.



1897

The Queensland Aboriginals' Protection and Restriction of Sale of Opium Act established reserves and provides for the appointment of protectors. Europeans are permitted to employ Aboriginal people but Chinese people are not. This Act with some amendments in 1901 and 1934 remains the chief statement of Queensland Policy until 1939 when a new Act is passed.



Jandamarra, Kimberley's resistance fighter is shot and 19 former Aboriginal prisoners, who he had freed and were fighting with him, are also shot and killed.



1900

During 1900 Jimmy and Joe Governor, and Jackie Underwood kill seven Europeans in NSW because Jimmy Governor took offense at slurs passed upon his European wife. Joe was later shot dead and Jimmy and Underwood were arrested.



Aboriginal Massacres


Nailed to trees proclamation boards were designed to show that colonists and aboriginals were equal before the law, and incorrectly depicted a policy of friendship and equal justice which simply did not exist.


It has been estimated that at the time of first European contact, the absolute minimum pre-1788 population was 315,000, while recent archaeological finds suggest that a population of 750,000 could have been sustained, with some academics estimating a population of a million people was possible.


In the 19th century, smallpox was the principal cause of Aboriginal deaths. Smallpox is estimated to have killed up to 90% of the local Darug people in 1789.

The first massacre of Tasmanian Aboriginal people occurred at Risden Cove in 1804, when Lieutenant John Bowen and his troops fired on a group which included women and children. By 1806 clashes between Aboriginal people and settlers were common. The Tasmanians speared stock and shepards; in retaliation Europeans gave them poison flour, abducted their children to use as forced labour, and raped and tortured the women.


Mass killings of Tasmanian Aborigines were reported as having occurred as part of the Black War.
In combination with impacts of introduced infectious diseases, to which the Tasmanian Aborigines had no immunity, the conflict had such impact on the Tasmanian Aboriginal population that they were reported to have been exterminated..

In February 1830, the government offered a bounty of £5 per adult and £2 per child, for Aborigines captured alive.
By 1900 the recorded Indigenous population of Australia had declined to approximately 93,000.





Goulbolba Hill Massacre, Central Queensland a large massacre involving men, women and children. This was the result of settlers pushing Aboriginal people out of their hunting grounds and the Aboriginals being forced to hunt livestock for food. A party of Native Police, under Frederick Wheeler, who had a reputation for violent repressions, was sent to "disperse" this group of Aboriginals, who were 'resisting the invasion'. He had also mustered up a force of 100 local whites. Alerted of Wheeler's presence by a native stockman, the district's aborigines holed up in caves on Goulbolba hill. According to eyewitness testimony taken down from a local white in 1899, that day some 300 Aboriginals, including all the women and children, were shot dead or killed by being herded into the nearby lake for drowning.







In 1833 or 1834 tension turned into a full fledged conflict in a dispute over a beached whale. The Convincing Ground is located in Portland Bay southwest of Melbourne, near the coastal town of Portland in the Shire of Glenelg and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Reports say up to 200 Aborigines were killed, including women and children

George Augustus Robinson visited the site of the massacre in 1841 and talked with local squatters and made the following official report:

Among the remarkable places on this coast, is the 'Convincing Ground', originating in a severe conflict which took place in a few years previous between the Aborigines and the Whalers on which occasion a large number of the former were slain. The circumstances are that a whale had come on shore and the Natives who fed on the carcass claimed it was their own. The whalers said they would 'convince them' and had recourse to firearms.

The reason for this uncertainty over casualties and the actual date of the massacre appears to stem from the fact that the incident was only reported and documented several years after its occurrence.





Gippsland squatter Henry Meyrick wrote in a letter home to his relatives in England in 1846



The blacks are very quiet here now, poor wretches. No wild beast of the forest was ever hunted down with such unsparing perseverance as they are. Men, women and children are shot whenever they can be met with ...

I have protested against it at every station I have been in Gippsland, in the strongest language, but these things are kept very secret as the penalty would certainly be hanging.


 For myself, if I caught a black actually killing my sheep, I would shoot him with as little remorse as I would a wild dog, but no consideration on earth would induce me to ride into a camp and fire on them indiscriminately, as is the custom whenever the smoke is seen. They [the Aborigines] will very shortly be extinct. It is impossible to say how many have been shot, but I am convinced that not less than 450 have been murdered altogether..."









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