Australian History/First Settlers

&lsaquo; Return to the Contents &lsaquo; Back to the Introdcution

The exact date when Aboriginal people arrived in Australia from Asia is contested, however it is widely regarded to have been somewhere between 40,000 to 60,000 years ago. Evidence of settlement from 40,000 years ago has been confirmed. Tasmania was first inhabited by the Tasmanian Aborigines. Evidence indicates their presence in the region, later to become an island, at least 35,000 years ago. Rising sea levels cut Tasmania off from mainland Australia about 10,000 years ago.

Captain Cook was the first European recorded to have contact with the East coast of Australia.

Forward to Early Explorers &rsaquo;