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The British colonisation of Tasmania took place between 1803 and 1830. Known as Van Diemen's Land , the name changed to Tasmania , when the British government granted self-governance in 1856. [ 1 ] It was a colony from 1856 until 1901, at which time it joined five other colonies to form the Commonwealth of Australia .
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The island, inhabited by Aborigines, was first encountered by the Dutch ship captained by Abel Tasman in 1642, working under the sponsorship of Anthony van Diemen, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.
Tasmania was often referred to as one of the "most British" colonies of the Empire. The Colony suffered from economic fluctuations, but for the most part was prosperous, experiencing steady growth. With few external threats and strong trade links with the Empire, the Colony of Tasmania enjoyed many fruitful periods in the late nineteenth ...
The history of Tasmania begins at the end of the Last Glacial Period (approximately 12,000 years ago) when it is believed that the island was joined to the Australian mainland. Little is known of the human history of the island until the British colonisation of Tasmania in the 19th century.
The name was later shortened to Van Diemen's Land by the British. It was officially renamed "Tasmania" in honour of its first European discoverer on 1 January 1856. [27] Tasmania was sometimes referred to as "Dervon", as mentioned in the Jerilderie Letter written by the notorious Australian bushranger Ned Kelly in 1879. The colloquial ...
Transportation of convicts to the colonies was phased out from 1840 to 1868. In 1855 and 1856, Britain granted self-government to New South Wales, the new colony of Victoria, Van Diemen's Land (renamed Tasmania) and South Australia. Queensland became a separate self-governing colony in 1859 and Western Australia was granted self-government in 1890.
At the time of settlement by the British, it is estimated that approximately 1000 to 5000 people lived in Tasmania, divided into eight tribal groups. It was the semi-nomadic Mouheneener tribe, a sub-group of the Nuenonne , or 'South-East' tribe, who were first affected by European settlement, as Hobart Town was founded in their traditional ...
A British settlement was established in 1803 in Van Diemen's Land, now known as Tasmania, and it became a separate colony in 1825. [29] The United Kingdom formally claimed the western part of Western Australia (the Swan River Colony) in 1828. [30]