Despite the great age of the Australian continent, its recorded history is only very recent. It is usually held that the earliest human population arrived over 50,000 years ago when Australia's indigenous tribes migrated from an unknown region of Asia.

European exploration of Australia began in 1606 when a Spanish navigator sailed through the Torres Strait, which separates Australia from Papua New Guinea. He was soon followed by Dutch, French and English explorers who began to chart the continent.

The settlement of Australia began in 1788 when a British penal colony was established at Botany Bay, in what was to become the city of Sydney in New South Wales. The colony grew rapidly as free settlers, hoping to make a better life for themselves, followed convicts, and soon Australia started making its mark in the world.