For at least 60,000 years, hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups flourished, each with its own distinct language, customs and lore.
The invasion of British settlers in the late 18th century precipitated decades of colonial violence and dispossession, yet many groups resisted and survived. Today, there are more than 150 First Nations languages still spoken across Australia, making it home to one of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth.
Since the arrival of the First Fleet, millions of people have crossed the seas, seeking to call this vast continent home.The gold rushes of the 1850s attracted migrants primarily from the United Kingdom, Europe and China, while thousands of South Sea Islanders were brought to Queensland in the second half of the 19th century to work on sugar plantations.
After Federation in 1901, the first national immigration law was introduced, which became known as the White Australia policy. It primarily targeted people of Asian descent and was widely denounced as xenophobic, restricting non-British migration to Australia well into the middle of the 20th century.
The post-war years witnessed a boom in immigration from continental Europe, but with successive waves coming from the north-west, followed by southern and eastern Europe.
Then, in April 1976, following the end of the Vietnam War, a boat carrying a small group of Vietnamese men reached Darwin Harbour. They became known as Australia's first 'boat people' — a term that would come to shape policies and attitudes for the next 50 years.
Across the Seas, SBS News