It is believed that cats were first introduced into Australia by Asian traders who sought sea-slugs (trepang) off the northern coasts as early as the 1500s. The cats were kept on board ship to keep the rat population down, but it was inevitable that some of the cats escaped from the ships onto land. Cats were established in Australia before the First Fleet and the days of early colonial settlement.
There is evidence to suggest that domestic cats - which then turned feral - arrived in Australia with the Macassan traders who sought trepang (sea slugs) off Australia's northern coast some 500 years before the First Fleet of convicts and officers. Even though the First Fleet had ships' cats, some of which stayed behind in Australia when the ships moved on, cats were already a presence in Australia. Naturally, these cats turned feral once they had to fend for themselves, and with no natural predators in Australia, their population proliferated rather well.
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Australia doesn't have any big cats. Even small cats are not native to the continent. They live there now because they were introduced by European settlers.
Beef was introduced into Australia with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788.
There is evidence to suggest that domestic cats - which then turned feral - arrived in Australia with the Macassan traders who sought trepang (sea slugs) off Australia's northern coast some 500 years before the First Fleet of convicts and officers. Even though the First Fleet had ships' cats, some of which stayed behind in Australia when the ships moved on, cats were already a presence in Australia. Naturally, these cats turned feral once they had to fend for themselves, and with no natural predators in Australia, their population proliferated rather well.
Cats were probably not so much introduced, but more likely they escaped from ships. It was common practice to keep cats on ships to keep the rodents under control, so they most likely arrived with the First Fleet. However, it is also highly probable that some of the early settlers also brought cats with them for the same reason or as pets. There is evidence to suggest that domestic cats arrived in Australia long before the First Fleet. It would appear that the Macassan traders who sought trepang (sea slugs) off Australia's northern coast some 500 years before the First Fleet had ships' cats, some of which stayed behind in Australia when the ships moved on. Naturally, these cats turned feral once they had to fend for themselves, and with no natural predators in Australia, their population proliferated rather well.
Cattle were first introduced with the First Fleet in January 1788.
There is evidence to suggest that domestic cats arrived in Australia long before the First Fleet. It would appear that the Macassan traders who sought trepang (sea slugs) off Australia's northern coast some 500 years before the First Fleet had ships' cats, some of which stayed behind in Australia when the ships moved on. Naturally, these cats turned feral once they had to fend for themselves, and with no natural predators in Australia, their population proliferated rather well.
The first telephone in Australia was installed in Melbourne in 1879.
European rabbits were introduced into Australia on the first fleet and that solves your Question
Originally, it was thought that cats probably arrived with the First Fleet, since all ships used to have cats to keep the rats under control. However, it's now thought that cats came before the First Fleet, on the west coast at least, from Dutch shipwrecks, as early explorers saw feral cats in inland Australia only a few years after first settlement. There is evidence to suggest that domestic cats arrived in Australia long before both the First Fleet or even the Dutch explorers. It would appear that the Macassan traders who sought trepang (sea slugs) off Australia's northern coast some 500 years before the First Fleet had ships' cats, some of which stayed behind in Australia when the ships moved on. Naturally, these cats turned feral once they had to fend for themselves, and with no natural predators in Australia, their population proliferated rather well.