45-minute lesson
Year 5 History: Founding the Australian colonies
Lesson objective
- Identify the six Australian colonies and when they were established.
- Explain reasons why different colonies were founded.
Success criteria:
- I can name the six colonies and order them on a timeline.
- I can explain why at least two colonies were founded.
- I can explain that the land of each colony was already the Country of First Nations peoples.
Materials
- A blank outline map of Australia
- Coloured pencils
- Paper strip for a timeline
Introduction
5 minIntroduce today's words:
- colony: A territory settled and governed by another country, in this case Britain.
- penal settlement: A place where convicts were sent to be punished and to work.
- free settler: A person who chose to move to a colony and was not a convict.
- separation: When part of a colony became a new, separate colony.
- dispossession: Having land and property taken away.
Ask your child what they already know about founding the australian colonies.
Explanation
9 minAfter 1788, Britain established more colonies on the continent. Each was set up on the Country of First Nations peoples, who were not asked for their agreement and who lost access to land, water and food sources. This is called dispossession.
- New South Wales (1788) began as a penal colony at Sydney Cove. At first it covered a huge part of the eastern continent.
- Van Diemen's Land was first settled by the British in 1803, partly to stop the French from claiming it. It became a separate colony in 1825 and was renamed Tasmania in 1856.
- Western Australia began as the Swan River Colony in 1829. It was set up for free settlers, although convicts were later sent there from 1850 to help with a shortage of workers.
- South Australia (1836) was planned as a colony of free settlers only, with no convicts. Land was sold to fund the journeys of working families.
- Victoria separated from New South Wales in 1851, and Queensland separated from New South Wales in 1859. Both regions had grown as settlers spread out with sheep and cattle.
The reasons for founding colonies included housing convicts, claiming land before other European powers, and providing land for farming and trade. Wool became an important export, and the spread of sheep and cattle grazing pushed further onto First Nations lands, leading to violent conflict on the frontier.
Worked examples
7 minOrdering the colonies
Put these in order: Queensland 1859, South Australia 1836, Swan River Colony 1829, Victoria 1851.
Step 1: List the years: 1859, 1836, 1829, 1851.
Step 2: Order from earliest: 1829, 1836, 1851, 1859.
Step 3: Match each year to its colony.
Answer: Swan River Colony (1829) → South Australia (1836) → Victoria (1851) → Queensland (1859).
Comparing colonies
How was South Australia different from New South Wales when it began?
Step 1: New South Wales began as a penal colony for convicts.
Step 2: South Australia was planned for free settlers, with no convicts sent there.
Answer: South Australia was a free-settler colony; NSW began as a convict colony.
Guided practice (do together)
9 min1. Which was the first British colony in Australia?
(a) Victoria (b) New South Wales (c) South Australia (d) Queensland
2. Which colony was planned for free settlers only, with no convicts?
(a) South Australia (b) Van Diemen's Land (c) New South Wales (d) Moreton Bay
3. What was Tasmania called before 1856?
(a) New Holland (b) Swan River (c) Van Diemen's Land (d) Port Phillip
4. Which colony separated from New South Wales in 1859?
(a) Victoria (b) Western Australia (c) South Australia (d) Queensland
Independent practice
11 min5. What does 'dispossession' mean?
(a) Having land and property taken away (b) Buying a house (c) Moving to a new school (d) Building a fence
6. In what year did the Swan River Colony begin?
7. How many years after New South Wales (1788) was South Australia (1836) founded?
8. Which colony separated from New South Wales in 1851?
Questions to check understanding
- Can you name the six colonies and order them on a timeline?
- Can you explain why at least two colonies were founded?
- Can you explain that the land of each colony was already the Country of First Nations peoples?
- What was the trickiest part today?
Answer guide
1. New South Wales — New South Wales was established in 1788.
2. South Australia — South Australia (1836) was planned without convicts.
3. Van Diemen's Land — It was called Van Diemen's Land.
4. Queensland — Queensland separated from New South Wales in 1859.
5. Having land and property taken away — First Nations peoples were dispossessed of their lands by colonisation.
6. 1829 — The Swan River Colony, later Western Australia, began in 1829.
7. 48 — 1836 − 1788 = 48.
8. Victoria — Victoria separated in 1851, the same year gold was found there.
Review
4 minRecap the success criteria together. Watch for these common misconceptions:
- Some think all colonies were convict colonies. South Australia never received convicts, and Western Australia only took them from 1850.
- Learners may think colonial borders followed First Nations boundaries. Colonial borders were drawn by the British and cut across many Countries.
Extension activities
- Draw a series of maps showing colonial borders in 1825, 1836, 1851 and 1859.
- Research why the Northern Territory was administered by South Australia from 1863 until 1911.
- Write a letter from a free settler arriving in Adelaide in 1837.
Suggested follow-up
- Revisit founding the australian colonies tomorrow with two or three quick questions from memory.
- Try the online practice check for this topic and look at any questions that need another go.
Tips for parents
- Look up the colonial history of your own state or territory and whose Country your capital city is on.
- Frontier conflict is part of this history. Seek out local First Nations perspectives through land councils, cultural centres or community-endorsed resources.
- Colour in a map as you go so the child sees the colonies forming over time.