AD 1770-1950 Colonial

The British Government began colonisation of Australia in AD 1788 for a number of reasons. Following the loss of its American colonies after the War of Independence (1775-83), Britain needed a new place to send its prisoners. The 'First Fleet' was sent to Australia, carrying convicts and soldiers to guard them. Britain also had an interest in establishing a naval base from which to begin to exploit the region. The colonial government and increasing numbers of settlers from Britain denied Indigenous Australians access to their ancestral lands, resources and sacred sites. Violent clashes became common.

The discovery of gold attracted great numbers of prospectors from Britain, America and China. Missionaries arrived and established mission stations and schools to introduce a Christian European way of life to the Indigenous Australians.

Colonisation was the direct cause of an estimated 90% reduction in the Indigenous Australian population during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The main cause was loss of access to land, which provided physical as well as spiritual sustenance. Disease and violence were also significant. There were many massacres on the colonial frontier. The last major massacre was at Coniston in the Northern Territory in 1928 when 70 Indigenous Australian men and women were killed by police.