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Group of Natives of Tasmania by Robert Dowling, oil on canvas (1859).

Wales and Van Diemen’s Land. But some set out into the interior of the country hoping to find good grazing fields for sheep and other livestock that they brought with them from England. While some of these explorers found excellent pastureland, much of the interior was desolate and harsh.

Nevertheless, wherever settlements thrived, they were free of government control, and the settlers did as they pleased. To control the spread of the settlements, in 1826 Australia’s governor decreed the colony would not grant or sell permits to any settler who wanted to move 149 miles (240 km) beyond Sydney. Many people, however, ignored the governor and “squatted” on large tracts well beyond the boundary. These squatters tamed inland Australia. A FERTILE LAND Most squatters settled on fertile land by rivers and creeks. They established grazing areas for cattle and sheep. Although they did not own the land, they built huts and small out buildings. They fenced off acre after acre to prevent dingoes, a doglike animal, from attacking livestock at night. By the mid-1800s, six of Australia’s settlements were thriving.

Cave stencils in the Carnarvon Gorge depict “dream time” stories, which are central to Aboriginal mythology.

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MAJOR NATIONS IN A GLOBAL WORLD: AUSTRALIA