European Settlement

British Captain James Cook spotted Botany Bay, now a suburb of Sydney, in 1770. On January 26, 1788, Admiral Arthur Philip founded Australia's first convict settlement just north of the bay at Port Jackson. He deemed the spot "the finest harbour in the world", and named the colony after British Home Secretary, Lord Sydney.

The following years took their toll on both the natives and the new arrivals. Diseases introduced by the British decimated the Aboriginal populations. Meanwhile, the harsh and unfamiliar environment caused great hardship for the settlers. However, conditions soon improved for the settlers. Over the next few decades, convict labourers constructed roads, bridges, wharves and buildings. Banks, markets, urban development and further immigration followed, and in 1842 Sydney was declared the first city in Australia.

The gold rushes started in 1851, attracting more migrants and rapid suburban development. The next century saw the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, extensive post-war immigration, a flourishing cultural movement, and the 2000 Olympic Games. As a result, Sydney is now one of the most multicultural and dynamic cities in the world.