What historic events have happened in Australia in July?

Answer 1

Australia was first inhabited by Aborigines. The Aborigines adapted and thrived in Australia's harsh environment. It is unknown, and can only be estimated, when habitation of the Australian continent actually began. In the 1600s, the Dutch became the first known Europeans to explore the western coast, piquing the interest of the English, who later sent William Dampier in the late 1600s to investigate further. His negative reports delayed colonisation until Captain Cook charted the fertile eastern coast in 1770. In 1788, the First Fleet arrived on the eastern coast, consisting of 11 ships filled with British prisoners and Officers to guard them. The early convict colony struggled to survive as they were ill-prepared for the differences and harshness of the country. Captain Arthur Phillip, first Governor of New South Wales, skilfully turned the fortunes of the ailing colony so it began to thrive. Free settlers began arriving before the turn of the century, and post-1800, many immigrants came to Australia to seek new life and, in the 1840s, freedom from persecution (the Germans were among these) and other troubles (the Irish came after so much was lost in the potato famine) in their own countries. As the Australian explorers branched out futher and further, fertile lands were discovered throughout the interior, and the official discovery of gold in 1854 sealed the fortunes of the young country. People of other nationalities came to farm, to settle in the gold towns, to pan gold and to mine various metals as the rich resources were uncovered. As Australia gained more and more of an individual identity, patriotism and a sense of national pride began to develop, fuelled by the writings of men such as Henry Lawson and A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson. This developed during the 1870s through to the 1900s. Federation of the six colonies occurred in 1901, and although Australia supported the British Empire in both World Wars, it gradually grew into the completely autonomous, multi-cultural and rich country it is today, with one of the highest standards of living in the world.

Answer 2

• On 1 July 1851, Victoria separated from New South Wales, becoming its own self-governing colony.
• 1 July 2000: Prime Minister John Howard introduced the GST (Goods & Services Tax).
• 1 July 1836: explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell discovered the Loddon River in Victoria.
• 6 July 1943: The last of the intensive, heavy Japanese bombing attacks on Darwin occurred. Smaller attacks continued, but this was the last of the heavy attacks.
• 7 July 1835: Escaped convict William Buckley gave himself up after living for 32 years with Aborigines.
• 7 July 1841: Explorer Edward Eyre completed the first overland crossing of the Nullarbor Plain, travelling east to west from Adelaide to Albany.
• 10 July 1852: Sydney, capital of NSW, was named as a city.
• 12 July 1971: The Australian Aboriginal flag was flown for the first time.
• 14 July 1770: This was the first time any European sighting of a kangaroo was recorded. The notes were made by Sir Joseph Banks, after a crewman on James Cook's ship 'The Endeavour' shot a kangaroo and brought it back to the camp where Cook's men were repairing the ship.
• 16 July 1914: Australia's first interstate air mail left from Melbourne, bound for Sydney.
• 20 July 1969: The CSIRO radio telescope at Parkes transmitted the first pictures of the Apollo 11 moon walk, because the US tracking stations were not in view of the Moon at that time.
• 26 July 1858: Sydney and Melbourne were first linked by telegraph.
• 30 July 1997: A massive landslide caused by the collapse of the Alpine Way above Thredbo, NSW, buried two ski lodges, killing 18, but ending with the incredible rescue of ski instructor Stuart Diver.
• 31 July 1900: Western Australia voted to join the Commonwealth of Australia, just five months before Federation.

Answer 3

My opinion would be the 9th Australian Division's successful defense of Tobruk in 1941, but there are many other events that would qualify as well.

See also the related question.

Answer 4

anzac day