Population and Early Settlement in Australia

In Australia, the Aboriginals were the earliest human species to

inhabit the area. Evidence of human presence was seen the earliest in
the country of Australia, which puts them at some advantage. They
survived by using bones, wood, and other natural resources to hunt.
Within the time span of 1788 and 1850, the English sent about 162,000
convicts to Australia to see if the land was suitable for settlement. The
first eleven of the eight hundred and six ships are known as the First
Fleet and they are recognized as the Founders of Australia. Captain
James Cook discovered New Hollands east coast in 1770 and gave it
the name New South Wales. He explored the coast and found it to be a
good place for a settlement but because the natives did not cultivate
the land, Britain deemed the land uncivilized. The First Fleet left
England on May 13th, 1787 for Australia and they arrived in Botany Bay
on the 18th of January in 1788. This area was unsuitable for settlement
so they then moved to Port Jackson on the east coast on the 26th.
These settlers were faced with issues right from the start, as the
convicts did not know how to farm and the soil there was poor. The
country was dry, hot, and infertile which was unsuitable for the small
farming needed to make the settlement self-sufficient. They had to
ration their food. The natives (Aboriginal Australians) who were
already living there lived on local plants and fish and the settlers could

not stomach all of the same plants. This is similar to how in Guns,
Germs, and Steel people were not used to certain places so they
became ill as they were exposed to new germs and food.
The first settlers went to this area mainly because of the agrarian
revolution in Britain; there was a rise in population in the cities causing
more crime and they needed somewhere to send the convicts as there
was overcrowding in the jails. They didnt have a choice but to try to
settle in this area. The settlers eventually moved to Rose Hill and they
had better agricultural success there. The reason of these people
going to Australia is because they were forced to do so and they kept
working hard and using agricultural resources to finally become
successful and to learn how to live there. There is a lot of controversy
about the First Fleet and who really settled in Australia first, however,
in 1971 there were stone tools that were found in New South Wales
which show that humans lived in Australia at least twelve thousand
years before people appeared in Europe (Early Settlements).
Before settling in Rose Hill, the English convicts attempted to
settle in other places along the coast but they struggled with the
location and experienced difficulty getting their resources there, which
was necessary for a successful settlement. They moved around and
made it possible. This is similar to what happened in Guns, Germs,
and Steel because at first the settlers had issues importing crops and
animals to distant locations. Geography is what makes a huge

difference in the ability to go and settle in a new place. The first

settlers had to keep trying until they found a good location.
Obviously Australia was the country with the earliest evidence of
human presence and ability to cross large water gaps as well as also
having the earliest widespread evidence of behaviorally modern
humans. However, Eurasians were the ones to expand the most and
the English took over and settled in Australia in the First Fleet. In
Guns, Germs, and Steel there were questions raised about why the
earliest hunters and gatherers everywhere didnt domesticate the wild
species and plants. Why was it left up to the settlers? People wonder
why the Aboriginal Australians did not domesticate the kangaroos or
other species there. In Guns, Germs, and Steel it was proven that
the reason for these wild species not being domesticated was because
of the species and not the people who were first there with them. The
Aboriginal Australians were doing just fine living off of the plants and
other resources they had. They were even more used to the species on
their land. The settlers came and struggled at first but eventually
overcame it and built up their settlement just like anyone could do.
While the British First Fleet is known for settling in Australia,
the Aboriginal Settlers arrived on the continent more than 40,000
years before the Europeans started to explore the area in the 17th
century and before Captain James Cook took over and settled there in
the name of Great Britain. The Aboriginals made their own weapons to

hunt and gather and they spoke many different languages with about
300,000 people in their population. The Aboriginals land was taken
over by these settlers and they had to deal with the pain of that;
instead of celebrating Australia Day the Aboriginal activist hold a
Day of Mourning on January 26th. There is also an advanced
Reconciliation movement now to heal the pain of the past that was
caused by the settlers (European Discovery and the Colonization of
Australia).
Whether it be the Aboriginal settlers or the First Fleet settlers,
the pattern of settlement in Australia was both very urban and also
rural. The rural settlements consisted of primary industries being
farming, fishing, and mining. The urban settlements featured
secondary industries being manufacturing of raw materials. The
migration in Australia came in big waves and these boosts in
population really affected the expansion of Australia. They began
building railways and expanding farming. There was a large mix of
cultures in Australia between Vietnam War refugees, convicts from
Great Britain, and the Aboriginal Australians. Australia has grown and
become overdeveloped in specifically Sydney but other urban areas in
Australia have shown both growth and decline in development.
Settlement in Australia supported the theories somewhat in Guns,
Germs, and Steel as the Aboriginals were initially at an advantage
compared to the new settlers as they were used to the domesticated

species and they were able to eat more from the natural resources.
However, the new settlers turned out to be successful settling there
and they eventually took over the land.
Overall, the Aboriginals were the original settlers in Australia but
were taken over by the British convict settlers. The Aboriginals used
natural resources to hunt and gather and they were able to suffice
more easily than the new settlers because they were used to the food
sources there.

Citations

Dunn, C. (n.d.). Australian History Research. Retrieved February 02,

2016, from http://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/the-firstfleet/

Early Settlements. (n.d.). Retrieved February 01, 2016, from

http://www.humanjourney.us/australia.html

European Discovery and the Colonization of Australia | australia.gov.au.

(2015, March 31). Retrieved February 01, 2016, from
http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australianstory/european-discovery-and-colonisation