The First Fleet, under the command of Arthur Phillip, arrived with convicts in the year of 1788. Botany Bay was planned as the point for settlement, but on arrival Phillip was not satisfied with the quality of the land, and the lack of a fresh water supply nearby.

After further exploration, the fleet moved a bit further north to Port Jackson, which was the name James Cook had given to Sydney Harbour as he sailed by in 1770. The historic arrival of the First Fleet marked the beginnings of not only Sydney, but of New South Wales.

Free settlers began arriving in the colony in 1819. By 1840 it was agreed that the continued transportation of convicts could dissuade potential settlers from emigrating, and as a result transportation ceased. From 1831 to 1859 over 200,000 government-assisted migrants flocked to the colony to begin a new life, far removed from 19th century Britain.

For these new settlers the colony represented a land of opportunity, and hope for the future. They would have the chance to work hard, increase their social standing, and perhaps even own their own property. This alone was enough to convince thousands of people to take the risk and travel across the world to an unknown and undeveloped land.

Initial settlement was around the coast, and with time western areas opened up. Fertile land was discovered in some parts, and European animals were introduced. In the same year that Arthur Phillip arrived with the colony's first residents, Parramatta was established, becoming an important agricultural centre.

Initially, free land grants were given to military officers as well as private men who had emigrated on their own initiative. This practise ceased in 1831, and the money that was raised from land sales thereafter was used to assist poorer emigrants.

Although the colony stretched from the Cape York Peninsula right down to Tasmania, and across to parts of the Northern Territory and South Australia, settlement was not initially encouraged to far from Sydney.

In the late 1820s/early 1830s, Governor Darling proclaimed 19 'counties' as the limits of location - from Moruya up to Manning River, and across to Orange. However, these boundaries were crossed. Men with livestock crossed them in search of pastures, and they became known as squatters. When they got the vote, they began to demand greater security of tenure. The Government complied to most of their demands by 1847.

In 1852 the British Government handed over the control of land to the New South Wales legislature, and three years later, more significantly, the colony was provided with its very own Constitution. This gave it the right to form a two-house parliament.

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