GEOG101: World Regional Geography

Figure 10.21 traces the pattern of urban development along Australia's coast due to British colonization. From 1787–1868, Britain shipped its convicts to Australia to alleviate its overcrowded prisons. Sydney of New South Wales was its first penal colony. The British also created penal colonies in Brisbane in Queensland, Perth in Western Australia, and other locations. Many Australians can trace their lineage to these transported convicts.

The coastal cities anchor Australia's two core areas. The Western Core Area is anchored by the city of Perth, and the Eastern Core Area is anchored by the capital, Canberra, and the cities of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. The inland areas that buffer Australia's core form the peripheral regions, which provide the food, raw materials, and other goods needed to support the core regions. Nearly 70% of Australia's population lives in these urbanized regions rather than in the interior.

Great Britain took advantage of Australia's natural resources when the British government and private interests seized and converted Aboriginal land into agricultural and mining operations. Several gold rushes in South Australia during the mid-19th century brought immigrants from Europe, North America, and China. Miners also discovered silver, lead, and copper in the region. However, these newcomers never compensated the Aboriginal people for the land they stole, which the Aborigines had lived on for more than 25,000 years.