Penal Colony to Popular Tourist Destination(a)

Penal Colony to Popular Tourist Destination

by Brian Foden

Australia has a fascinating history and an environment that makes it outstanding.


  The world's smallest continent has a colorful history, serving as a giant prison for criminals that Great Britain didn't want. Australia was first discovered in 1606 by the Dutch, who showed little interest in developing it. After Britain claimed the eastern section of the continent in 1770, it began setting up the region as a penal colony. The first settlement developed by the British consisted of roughly 700 male and female convicts, along with nearly 350 others who journeyed on the 11 ships dubbed the First Fleet and landed in Australia in January 1788. Later, more penal colonies were established in what is now Tasmania and the other parts of Australia. Settlements populated by people who were not convicted criminals were also created.


  Among the biggest developments in Australian history were two gold rushes, since they significantly boosted the population. Just prior to the first gold rush in 1851, there were 430,000 residents in Australia, many of them British and Irish convicts who were transported to the continent and their descendants. In the two decades after gold was first discovered in Australia, the population exploded to 1.7 million. The second gold rush occurred in Western Australia starting in 1885.


  Another major milestone in Australia's history came in 1901, when the six colonies united to become the Commonwealth of Australia with its own federal government. Since that happened, the nation has prospered to become one of the wealthiest countries in the world. However, not everyone has shared equally in the prosperity. The country's aboriginal people remain among its poorest residents. In fact, many consider Australia's treatment of these people over the years disgraceful.

 

这块世界上最小的大陆却拥有一段多彩多姿的历史,它曾经充当大型监狱来收容那些英国不要的犯人。澳洲最早是在 1606 年由荷兰人所发现,而荷兰人对开发这块土地并没有什么兴趣。在英国于 1770 年宣称拥有对这块大陆东部的所有权后,便开始将这个区域建立为罪犯的流放地。最早由英国人所发展的殖民地是由大约七百名男性和女性犯人所组成,另外还有将近三百五十人是在 1788 年一月乘坐被称为『第一舰队』的十一艘船航行至澳洲登陆。之后,在现今的塔斯马尼亚及澳洲其他区域又建立了更多的罪犯流放地。而另外也建立了由非罪犯所居住的殖民地。


在澳洲历史上名列最大发展之一的就属两次的淘金潮,因为这两次热潮使得该国人口大大增加。就在 1851 年第一次淘金潮之前,澳洲居民有四十三万人,其中许多都是被流放至这块大陆的英国和爱尔兰罪犯及他们的后代。在澳洲第一次发现金矿的二十年后,人口暴增至一百七十万人。而第二次淘金潮发生在澳洲西部,时间开始于 1885 年。


另外一个澳洲历史上重大的里程碑发生于 1901 年,当时六个殖民地统一成为澳洲联邦,并拥有自己的联邦政府。该事件发生之后,澳洲便蓬勃发展成为全世界最富有的国家之一。然而,并不是每个人都能平等地分享这份繁荣。该国的原住民仍然是全国居民中最穷困的族群之一。事实上,许多人认为澳洲多年来对待这些人的方式相当可耻。



 

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Penal Colony to Popular Tourist Destination(a)

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