Discovering Australia: Culture and History

Australia is a continent, a country, and a mix of cultures! Indigenous Australians have lived here

for over 65,000 years, developing rich traditions and art. In 1606,

Dutch explorers were the first Europeans to map parts of the coastline, but it was the British

who colonized Australia in 1788, starting with a penal colony in Sydney.

Over the 19th century, more colonies were established, and conflicts with Indigenous peoples

marked this period. Australia gradually gained self-government, and in 1901, the six colonies

united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Today, it is a federal

parliamentary democracy with six states and two territories, led by a Prime Minister. Healthcare is mostly