Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia

Colonial expansion

Main articles: History of Australia (1788–1850) and History of Australia (1851–1900)
Tasmania's Port Arthur penal settlement is one of eleven UNESCO World Heritage-listed Australian Convict Sites
The British continued to push into other areas of the continent in the early 19th century, initially along the coast. In 1803, a settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania),^[75] and in 1813, Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Wentworth crossed the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, opening the interior to European settlement.^[76] The British claim extended to the whole Australian continent in 1827 when Major Edmund Lockyer established a settlement on King George Sound (modern-day Albany).^[77] The Swan River Colony (present-day Perth) was established in 1829, evolving into the largest Australian colony by area, Western Australia.^[78] In accordance with population growth, separate colonies were carved from New South Wales: Tasmania in 1825, South Australia in 1836, New Zealand in 1841, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859.^[79] South Australia was founded as a "free province" — it was never a penal colony.^[80] Western Australia was also founded "free" but later accepted transported convicts, the last of which arrived in 1868, decades after transportation had ceased to the other colonies.^[81]
In 1823, a Legislative Council nominated by the governor of New South Wales was established, together with a new Supreme Court, thus limiting the powers of colonial governors.^[82] Between 1855 and 1890, the six colonies individually gained responsible government, thus becoming elective democracies managing most of their own affairs while remaining part of the British Empire.^[83] The Colonial Office in London retained control of some matters, notably foreign affairs^[84] and defence.^[85]
In the mid-19th century, explorers such as Burke and Wills went further inland to determine its agricultural potential and answer scientific questions.^[86] A series of gold rushes beginning in the early 1850s led to an influx of new migrants from China, North America and continental Europe,^[87] as well as outbreaks of bushranging and civil unrest; the latter peaked in 1854 when Ballarat miners launched the Eureka Rebellion against gold license fees.^[88]