A History of Australia

This week, we look over the Federal Convention of 1897, and see what delegates are elected from each colony and what key issues they believe will affect Australia's Federation as we gear up for the referendums of 1898 and 1899.

This episode, we discuss the death and legacy of the man often considered the father of federation, Henry Parkes. We also talk about the 1896 VFA/VFL split, as well as many other events. 

This week, we discuss the women's suffrage movement in South Australia, and witness women fight for and gain the right to vote in the colony. In addition, we discuss multiple political conflicts, as well as the foundation of the AWU. Finally, we return to Paraguay, and see whether William Lane's New Australia survives the year.

This episode, we overview the climactic end of the 1890s Depression in Australia, with the massive banking collapse of 1893. We also take some time to discuss one of Australia's most peculiar historical episodes, William Lane's socialist utopia in Paraguay. 

This week, we discuss the ongoing depression that is striking the Australian colonies. We also see strikes occur in Broken Hill, political changes galore, and true crime as we talk about the murders of Frederick Bailey Deeming.

This week, we discuss the Queensland Shearers' Strike of 1891, one of the Great Strikes of the 1890s, and the one credited for transitioning Labour politics from strikes and activism to parliament and elections. In addition, we talk about the National Australasian Convention, where Australia's constitution was first decided upon, and the formation of Labor parties across the colonies. There is eve...

This week, we delve into Western Australia's struggle for responsible government, 30+ years after Australia's other colonies had achieved such a milestone. 

This week, we discuss the first of the great strikes of the 1890s and the beginning of grand shifts in labour in Australia, the Maritime Strike of 1890. Furthermore, we talk about the first federation conference as well the importation of the Single Tax/Georgism ideology. We also discuss a few important premier changes.

This week, we examine the beginnings of both the Liberal Party of Australia and the Australian Labor Party. We also discuss the continued move towards Federation, local colonial politics, and the first ever grand final in Australian Rules Football. We end by noting the fall of the Premier's Permanent Building Association, whose collapse signals the end of the Long Boom and the start of the 1890s D...

This week, we discuss the roots of the White Australia policy, as the forebearers of this most infamous policy begin to appear in the late 1880s. We also discuss the 1887 London Colonial Conference, the establishment of the Australian Socialist League, and so much more. Finally, we reflect on the fact that this episode represents 100 years from the start of white colonisation of New South Wales.

This episode, we discuss the first Federal Council of Australasia, as we examine the year 1886. In addition, we see major political changes in NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania, as well as some significant moment's in Australia's labour history. 

This week, we examine the NSW colony's involvement in the Mahdist War in Sudan, one of the first times colonial Australians fought in a war outside their continent. We also discuss the naval expansions of many of the colonies this week, in what seems like a very military-focused episode. To round this out, we talk about the case of the Hopeful in the ongoing issue that is Blackbirding in Queenslan...

This week, we dive into one of the first international moves an Australian colony makes, Queensland's annexation of New Guinea. We also discuss the 1883 Intercolonial Conference and the finalising of the Federal Council of Australasia. Furthermore, we take some time to look over the Kalkadoon wars of Queensland, as well as colonial politics in New South Wales and Victoria. 

This week, we examine the first major inter-colonial conferences to take the idea of federation seriously. Do such ideas succeed? Unlikely! We also discuss the start of Australia's most major cricketing tradition, the Ashes. Finally, we also talk about the beginning of major strikes in the 1880s, a trend that continued over the coming decades.

The culmination of what is now an audio documentary of Ned Kelly's life (at over 1.5hrs of content), this episode examines the Kelly Gang's last stand at Glenrowan, and the legacy of Ned Kelly.

This week we'll be looking towards the Bushranger's life, as he goes from small-time criminal to well-known highwayman, and discuss what Ned did throughout the years that he was a Bushranger, from 1876 to 1879. 

In this episode, the first part of three, we look at the beginning of Ned Kelly's life, and his upbringing as part of the massive Kelly clan. We'll see how he grew up, and his first forays into a life of crime and bushranging, working to understand what led him to be the person he'd become.

This week, we discuss the events of 1879-1880, as they occurred around Ned Kelly. From a riot over cricket which would include Australia's future first prime minister, to another bushranger whose life has been overshadowed by Kelly, this week is incredibly interesting!   Next week, we'll be diving straight into Ned Kelly and his gang!

This week, we examine the Victorian political event known as Black Wednesday, as well as a year of political chaos and strife for New South Wales. In addition, we discuss the first-ever Australian and English test cricket match.

This week, we discuss perhaps Australia's most infamous prison escape, the Catalpa Rescue. In addition, we talk about political changes, the New Zealand to Australia submarine telegraph line, and the death of Truganini.

Merry Christmas! In this episode, we discuss the unlikely combo which led to the fall of Henry Parkes' first government. In addition, we talk about the SS Gothenburg wreck, the Running Waters Massacre, and the time SA decided to stray past the Goyder Line, with disastrous results. 

This week, we discuss three explorers who attempt to make their way from the centre of Australia all the way to the west coast, battling Australia's great deserts along the way. In addition, we discuss the Clunes miner's strike, little Eureka as it were, as well as the Intercolonial conferences which create the groundwork for Federation.

This week, we examine the creation of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line and see how Australia finally connects to the rest of the world. Furthermore, we discuss Mary Mackillop's excommunication, the rise of Henry Parkes to the role of Premier, and recap a bushranger who was missing from last weeks episode!   The Overland Telegraph Line: A Transcultural History | https://otlhistory.sa.gov.au/...

This episode, we examine the life and death of the last Aboriginal Tasmanian man of full-descent, Billy Lanne. We also discuss prison breaks from Western Australia, gold finds in Victoria, and politics throughout the colonies.

This week, we discuss the first political assassination attempt in Australia's colonial history, as Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria, is shot at a Sydney beachfront. In addition, frontier conflict, politics, and Blackbirding are all on the docket for this episode. Also, the podcast is now on Bluesky! Check it out here: https://bsky.app/profile/ahistoryofaus.bsky.social