This website provides a short and easily accessible summary of the history of Australia including the first hand accounts of its exploration and settlement by the first Australian colonists. Simply click on any of the links below to learn more about a particular topic or period of Australian history.
Australian History
I submit this resource on Australian History to the public in the hope that it may increase the
amount of interest usually shown in Australian History by deepening the
general knowledge of the subject, and illustrating it by those vivid
details which arrest the attention and enable the student to visualize
past events.
Because Australia is still a young country, the number of events described in a Source Book must necessarily be
smaller than that in histories of another type; but the aim is to place
the student in contact with the evidence of history in order that he or she may
become their own historian by drawing their own deductions from the
contemporary records. The greatest historian can find no materials
ulterior to such as are here presented, for there is nothing ulterior to
them but the deeds themselves. They are the records written by the men
who gave their life and health to lay the foundation of Australia's
greatness--by Phillip, weakening under the racking cares of the infant
state; by Sturt in the scorching desert, as the last duty of an
exhausting day. They are aglow with the heat of action; they are
inspiring in their quiet modesty and strength.
In order to give greater continuity to the volume, short introductions
have been placed at the head of each selection. It has been impossible
to quote in full all the documents of which use has been made, but
fuller information may be obtained by reference to the "source"
mentioned at the head of each selection. The editor or author of the
source and its date of publication are shown in order to facilitate
further research.
The Source Book has been compiled with attention to the requirements of
schools, and it is hoped that teachers in Australia will avail
themselves of the opportunity to introduce the study of the history of Australia
contemporary documents, and thus in this respect bring Australia into
line with the other countries where source books are already familiar.
The section on discovery and exploration may with advantage be used in
the study of geography.
My thanks are due to the proprietors of the "Times" for permission to
quote certain pages from "The Times History of the War in South Africa,"
and "The Times History of the War and Encyclopaedia," and also for the
"Dispatch from a Special Correspondent at the Dardanelles," printed in
the "Times," 7 May 1915.
It is with great pleasure that I acknowledge my indebtedness to
Professor Scott, of Melbourne University (at whose suggestion the work
was undertaken), for his interest and advice; and to Arthur Wadsworth,
Esq., Chief Librarian for the Parliament of the Commonwealth, for his
courteous assistance.
