<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The history of Australia from 1788--1850 covers the early colonial period of Australia's history, from the arrival in 1788 of the First Fleet of British ships at Sydney, New South Wales, who established the penal colony, the scientific exploration of the continent and later, establishment of other Australian colonies and the beginnings of representative democratic government . European colonisation would have a devastating effect on the pre-existing population of Indigenous Australians, and debate continues in the 21st century as to whether the colonisation process represented settlement, invasion, or a mixture of both . </P> <P> It is commonly reported that the colonisation of Australia was driven by the need to address overcrowding in the British prison system, and the fact of the British losing the United States of America from the American Revolution; however, it was simply not economically viable to transport convicts halfway around the world for this reason alone . Many convicts were either skilled tradesmen or farmers who had been convicted for trivial crimes and were sentenced to seven years, the time required to set up the infrastructure for the new colony . Convicts were often given pardons prior to or on completion of their sentences and were allocated parcels of land to farm . </P>

What marked the beginning of the european settlement in australia