Why was Australia colonised by Britain?

Question

If it's possible, can anyone tell me any information they have on why Australia was colonised. I need as much information as possible.

Cheers!

Answer 1

It was originally founded as a penal colony due to prison overcrowding in England.  

Answer 2

for prisoners.

Answer 3

Do you mean - why was Australia colonised by Britian, and no other country?

Britain was one of the last nations to 'discover' Australia. The Spanish, Dutch, Portugese et al had all come here first.

However all the 'good bits' were found only by the British. That is, they discovered almost the entire eastern coastline of Australia - which is where almost all of Australia's population reside - because it's the better areas for estabishing settlements.

All the other nations had in effect given up on Australia leaving Britain unchallenged.

If you mean "Why did Britain decide to colonise Australia?" then its due to them needing a new dumpig ground for convicts.

However, the proposed 'colony' was to have other industries too. It was believed that flax grown near by could be used to make sails and that the Norfolk Island pine tree would be suitable for ships masts. Thus the Royal Navy hoped to have a viable base in the south west Pacific - which is why, in part our first governors were all navy men, and why almost as soon as Sydney was begun that a ship was sent from Sydney to Norfolk Island to establish a colony there too.

Answer 4

they needed a place to dump their criminals cause their prison system was full! :D

Answer 5

Several factors were in play.

There was much exploration at this stage and an increased trade with parts of Asia especially a trade of spices (amongst other things).  

Captain Cook explored up the east coast in 1770 and did a lot of mapping both there and in the Pacific general and once down to the Antarctic region (although he never saw the continent he is the first known person to get that close)

The Dutch had hit the high Western Australia area.  They would round the bottom of Africa and catch the "Roaring Forties" (the winds at 40 degrees) and were supposed to turn and go up the west of the WA coast and a few turned to go to what is now Indonesia and south east Asia but hit WA instead.  Earliest recorded was around the 1600's.  But that area is horribly dry and not conjusive to supporting humans.

The American war of Independence (1775 - 1783) meant that the British could not send their abundance of convicts to the US.  Australia was also considered an "empty" or unclaimed continent and therefore up for grabs.

So Australia was chosen for a penal / convict settlement and convicts were sent here landing in 1788.  People were "transported" for serious crimes like murder but also small stuff like stealing a loaf of bread.  A lot of people would later come on their own for a better life.

Point of interest, the French turned up at about the same time in 1788 and didn't like the place / saw the Brits and decided to go elsewhere...

Answer 6

OK When you think about it, they didnt know that this country was going to be so weather-diverse. They colonised this country because they didnt think it would be that different to their own. Also ofcourse, the main reason, was they were either running out of room and resources to house the convicts and didnt want theifs in their midst. I also believe a major contributing fact that youd have to take into consideration isnt why (that was obviously an order from the higher hierachy) but is instead how. Thats the really interesting part.....

:) goodluck

Answer 7

okay this is goin to be long....i can't give any links and this off my mem from year 8-9(ha) any way.

it was colonised just after america had become independent from brittan and england needed a place manly for trade near asia.... so they went searching down under.......england wern't the first people to come to australia......some other country (can't remember) cam to aust first but they cam to WA were all they saw was desert and eng cam to NSW were there was lovely beaches and big forests

hope that answered your question

Answer 8

In short, because Britain needed a place to send their convicts, as due to extreme poverty, crime (mostly petty, to do with stealing food and clothing) was at an all time high, and their jails were overcrowded. So they sent out a fleet of ships to explore the oceans and find a land mass not already owned by another country, with land fertile enough to sustain a colony and farming, far enough away from England that the convicts would be unable to escape back to the motherland.

Answer 9

It was as far away from the United Kingdom as you can get, and a perfect place to dump their unwanted population, whether you describe them as petty criminals or political prisoners, which some of the Irish prisoners were.  The British thus developed the concept of a penal colony.  A place so far away that no convict ever stood a chance of returning.  The French mimicked the concept with Devil's Island of the coast of Suriname in South America.

Answer 10

Beer and Beaches :)

Answer 11

Consider this:the so-called 'First Fleet' of convicts,free-settlers et al,arrived in Sydney in 1788.

The typical convict had committed mostly petty crime.A hungry person stealing bread etc.

The following year,the French Revolution began.

There are many other reasons,but obviously,the British establishment could not afford another conflict.

The first being the English civil war,between the roundheads,under Oliver Cromwell vs Charles I.

Answer 12

because the British empire was growing and France an Holland was also expanding its influence  and Brittan needed to establish a firm footing as the worlds leader and needed the safe harbours fresh water and food  

Answer 13

Prison Colony is right, it began in Tasmainia and NSW. but S.A. had no convicts.

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD;-

England was having over crowding of their prisons and nobody wanted to go that far to colonise for the King.

They decided to send the army and prison officers, as well as the prisoners, thus it was that Australia was taken over by soldiers and criminals, although to be honest the criminals may have just stolen food for their starving child/family.

A very minor event, but one that the Govt was trying to discourage.

The women prisoners too were sent out and often married the male prisoners after being released. They usually stayed on, as they had no money to return and they were likely to be given land if they married.

Thus they became the new settlers. They had a tough time surviving as the food they brought didn't last and they had trouble growing things in the dry soil. They even had to plant grasses for their cattle and sheep as local plants and grasses were strange and uneatable to do this they had to kill thousands of black people, to scare them off the best land and took the best river sites to farm.

Later the Gold was discovered and people were much keener to travel here hoping to become rich. Many did.

Others set up businesses and sold to the miners. Small towns appeared and the Aboriginal people were placed forcefully into missionaries, for their own good as they were being murdered in great numbers and the authorities were afraid of genicide.

The reality was that the invaders did not know there were many many different tribes and many of them died out from introduced diseases eg. chicken pox.

The people were placed on land that was not hundreds of miles from  their land and it was a torturous experience due to broken customs of not being given permission to be there from the traditional owners. So violence broke out and was a common occurance in the missionaries too.

It's hard to speak of the invading nations without remembering that there were nomadic people and others already here.

Before the British, and Captain Cook, the Spanish and the Dutch had also come to the shores of Australia but didn't stay as it was too far away to colonise.

  Hope that helps.l

  

Answer 14

because they were criminals  and did not have enough room for them in britain so they sent the criminals to australia.  where they still are.