If nothing else, Australians are a patriotic bunch. We enjoy cheering on our athletes even when they fall short (looking at your Socceroos!) and it’s instilled in us to give everything a go. Here are just some of the moments that shaped our history and culture.
- Dutch Exploration. Everyone knows that the British were the first foreigners to colonise Australia. Blah, blah, First Fleet, Captain Cook, blah. But did you know a good 150 years before Cook landed at Botany Bay the Dutch arrived to map out the great Southern Land? Yup, Willem Janszoon mapped Northern Australia in 1606 and then ten years later explorer Dirk Hartog stepped foot on Aussie soil. Can you imagine if the Dutch had colonised Australia rather than the British? Would we all be speaking Dutch right now?!
- Discovery of the Mungo man. It’s a well-known fact that Indigenous Australians have called this land home for a really long time but people were once divided on just how long exactly. That’s why when in the 1970’s the Mungo man was discovered and found to be Australia’s oldest human remains (around 42,000 years old) it sent shock waves through the scientific community. Basically, what it meant was while pre-historic Europe was full of Neanderthals (our less intelligent distant sort-of cousins) in the land down under there was a much more sophisticated group of people.
- Gold Rush. You might be thinking, did the Gold Rush back in the 1850’s really have that much of an impact on Australia? Well yes, yes it did. Mainly because it meant a major influx of migrants from a variety of backgrounds. Young men came from Italy, Scandinavia, Poland and America in search of adventure and gold. The Gold Rush is also closely associated with the Eureka Stockade which had major ramifications for democracy in Australia.
- The birth of the lamington. How could we forget the humble lamington!? Can you imagine a birthday party, Christmas lunch or family BBQ without one of these tasty spongy coconutty cakes? Apparently, Aussies plough through around 8 million lamingtons per week. Yes, you read that correctly. 8 million. People have been lining up to claim the lamington as their own so it’s exact creator is a bit of mystery, but most believe it was concocted around 1900 by a very ill prepared chef working for Lord and Lady Lamington.
- Landing at Gallipoli. During the Gallipoli campaign over 8,000 Australian soldiers died, which is why each year on April 25th we commemorate their sacrifice. Can you imagine a year without Anzac Day and everything that comes along with it like two-up and dawn service?
- Gough Whitlam. His departure from office might not have been all that graceful (he was unceremoniously kicked out by the Governor-General) but we have this legend to thank for things like Medicare and free tertiary education. The Whitlam government also lowered the voting age and made sure that 10% of music played on commercial radio stations was Australian which then led to the golden age of Aussie rock.
- Port Arthur Massacre. Although one of the most tragic moments in our recent history, the Port Arthur massacre led to serious gun reform and a change in Australia’s attitude towards guns. Less than two weeks after Martin Bryant killed 35 people, Prime Minister at the time John Howard overhauled gun laws and since then there have been no mass shootings in Australia.
Of course there are other iconic moments that we could have added like when Steven Bradbury won by wipe out at the Winter Olympics or the historic marriage equality postal vote. What moment in Aussie history stands out the most for you?
