Many of Australia’s first cities were planned by British bureaucrats who
had never been there, which may explain why they put them in the wrong places.
bySir Ernest Scott1868-1939
History of Australia
One Man and his Dog
English explorer Major Edmund Lockyer tries to buy a puppy in Queensland, but ends up paying the owner to keep him.
byEdmund Lockyer1784-1860
History of Australia
The Crimson Thread
In 1890, Sir Henry Parkes reminded Australians that they had a natural kinship and declared them ready to manage their own affairs.
bySir Henry Parkes1815-1896
History of Australia
Mischievous Interference
In 1852 the Council of New South Wales sent a strongly-worded petition to London, demanding the right of self-government.
byThe Council of New South Wales1852
History of Australia
The First Fleet
Having brought hundreds of convicts to New South Wales, Arthur Phillip then had to conjure order out of their chaos.
byJohn Patience Chard1928
Discovery and Invention
Abel Tasman in New Zealand
The Dutch explorer ran across two islands in the Pacific of which Europeans knew nothing, but his chief desire was to get past them.