Tassie. Queensland. The West

Tassie

In 1803, a settlement was established at Port Arthur in Van Dieman’s land; initially with 150 convicts.

In 1823 the Colonial Office allowed New South Wales to establish a 'parliament' but this was still under control of the Governor, who could allow or disallow any proposed laws.

In 1825 Van Dieman's land gained independence from New South Wales, and in 1856 it was renamed Tasmania.

Queensland

Convicts were first sent to Queensland in 1824.

Queensland remained part of New South Wales until 1859.

The shaded area on the map remained part of New South Wales for some time, and one of the reasons for the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition was to chart this area so Victoria could claim it. The Queensland border was extended to take up this area in 1862.

The West

The area we now know as Western Australia was first settled in 1827, and governed by New South Wales until 1890.

Victoria

The Port Phillip district was settled by whitefellas from Tasmania. In 1851, it became independent from New South Wales and was renamed Victoria, in honour of the Queen.

South Australia

South Australia was not governed by New South Wales directly, beginning its life as a ‘Crown Province” then, in 1842, becoming a separate ‘Crown Colony’.

The Territory

The area we know today as the Northern Territory was

• originally part of New South Wales
• administered by South Australia from 1863
• under federal government control from 1912

Federation

Until Federation in 1901, the states still had only limited independence, each with a governor chosen by Britain to represent the Crown.