Why go
Canberra, war memorials and migration stories each reflect a different stage of nationhood. This timeline links the capital's creation with Australia's wartime identity, postwar immigration and the 1986 Australia Act, so those themes are easier to place when visiting across the country.
The full story
Six colonies federated on 1 January 1901 after years of planning and votes, creating the Commonwealth of Australia. Melbourne served as the temporary federal seat while Canberra was built. The capital territory was established in 1911, and the federal government moved to Canberra in 1927. The Northern Territory also came under federal control in 1911. Australia fought in both world wars. Gallipoli in the First World War became a powerful national symbol, despite the campaign's defeat. The Kokoda Track campaign in the Second World War took on a comparable place in public memory. Britain's wartime setback in Asia also helped shift Australia's strategic attention towards the United States. After the Second World War, European immigration expanded. From the 1970s, the end of the White Australia policy opened migration from Asia and elsewhere, changing the country's communities and self-image. Constitutional separation from Britain developed over decades; the Australia Act 1986 ended remaining British roles in state government and appeals to London's Privy Council. A 1999 referendum rejected a proposed republic, leaving that question open in Australia's national debate.