The last continent to be claimed by Europeans, Australia began to be settled by the British in 1788 in the form of a jail for its convicts. While British cultur

This engaging reference examines the history of, the search for, and the discovery of Australia, taking full account of the evidence for and the speculation sur

Australia’s development, from the most unpromising of beginnings as a British prison in 1788 to the prosperous liberal democracy of the present is as remarkab