1400s

Possible landings on Australian shores by merchants and explorers from India.

Chinese traders may have reached the nothern shores of Australia in the first half of the 15th century.

1558

Macassan journeys to the north eastern coast of the Northern Territory started tradings with the Aborigines.

1605

Spanish explorer Pedro Fernando de Quiros named a small island along the northern coast 'Australis del Espiritu Santo', mistaking it for Australia.

Dutch ship 'Duyfken' captained by William Jansz made contact with Aborigines on the west of Cape York Peninsula.

1606

Luis Vaez de Torres sailed past Cape York, where the Strait now bears his name.

1616

Dutchman Dirk Hartog landed on an island off the Western Australian coast, now named after him.

1622

The south-westerly tip of Australia was sighted by the ship 'Leeuwin', which the cape is named after.

1688

Englishman William Dampier landed in Australia.

1770

James Cook claimed possession of the east coast of Australia, raising the British flag at Possession Island, at the tip of Cape York.

1788

European colonisation of Australia.

The Aboriginal population was more than 750,000.

1791

The first Crown Land Grants were made.

1793

First free immigrants settled at Liberty Plains.

1798

Bass and Flinders circumnavigated Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania).

1799

Aboriginal resistance flared in the Parramatta and Hawkesbury regions.

1803

Van Dieman's Land was settled.

1804

Settlers in Van Dieman's Land were authorised to shoot Aborigines.

First celebration by European settlers of 26th January as the foundation of the colony.