Board Thread:Off-Topic Discussion/@comment-38333583-20190325041407/@comment-38333583-20190326070426

The story of Australia: Rough Beginnings

Once upon a time, the British transported all of their criminals into the U.S. But when the U.S began to get a little bit rowdy they had to find another place to dump their prisoners. Their only hope was Australia, this "little" island in the middle of the Pacific. They had known about it for years, as Captian James Cook had found it and claimed it for the British. They sent their first prisoners over using a convoy of 11 ships, called the First Fleet. The conditions for the prisoners were horrible, and many died. Some women even gave birth on the journey, with most of their kids dying.

When they first landed in Australia, they started setting up camps for the prisoners and guards. They named their town Sydney, after the ruler of Britan. They were encountered by the Aboriginals, native to the continent. Putting it straight forward, they were the American Indians of Australia. A huge plague swept through the Aboriginal tribes, as the convicts were sick with new diseases, and British people were actively killing them. 24% of all aboriginals died (and this is why they wanted to remove Australia Day).

Huge famine swept across the colony. Because Australia was barren and dry, British crops did not grow and the people were starving. Desperate attempts were made to eat; the colonists cooked whatever they could find. They had sent out a boat(Sirius)to get supplies. It was destroyed in a reef.When the second fleet came, carrying more supplies, the colony struggled even more. They now had another 3 000 mouths to feed.

Finally, 4 years after the landing at Sydney, the colonists finally had gotten to their feet. They had stable food supplies, permament buildings were built, and relations with the Aboriginals had improved. Australia had proven to be a challenge, and there was going to be plenty more in the future.