List of towns and cities in Australia by year of settlement

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Old Government House, Parramatta, circa 1799
Old Military Barracks, now Legislative Assembly Chambers, Kingston, Norfolk Island
Historic Ross Bridge with the Uniting Church in the background

This is primarily a list of towns and cities in Australia by year of settlement. The article also contains information on permanent settlements established in Australia before British settlement commenced in 1788.

Pre-European settlements[]

Australia proper[]

For 40,000–70,000 years, the Australian mainland and Tasmania have been inhabited by the Australian Aboriginal people, and the Torres Strait Islands (now part of Queensland) by Torres Strait Islanders. Aboriginals were hunter-gatherers fire stick farmers who travelled between seasonal settlements inside country boundaries. Many groups had more permanent camps that they lived in for much of the year. Torres Strait Islanders engaged in some agriculture and had permanent villages. In 1788, the British Empire began colonising Australia, constructing permanent towns and farms. Aboriginal people began living in permanent settlements, some by choice while others were forced.

External territories[]

The Cocos-Keeling Islands and Christmas Island have only been inhabited since the 1880s. Information for them can be found in the table below. Norfolk Island was first settled by Polynesians in the 13th or 14th century. In 1788 the British colonised the island, by that time the Polynesians had been gone for hundreds of years. Jervis Bay Territory is located on the Australian mainland and has two small villages. Prior to British settlement, the area was inhabited by Yuin aboriginal people. The Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands and the Australian Antarctic Territory have never had permanent inhabitants, but do have weather and research stations where people temporarily live and work. The Ashmore and Cartier Islands have never been inhabited, but are regularly visited by traditional Indonesian fishers.

Former territories[]

From 1947 to 1966, Australia administered the island of Nauru, which has been inhabited for at least three thousand years. The Nauruan people traditionally lived in permanent villages. Nauru is now an independent sovereign country formally called the Republic of Nauru. Australia governed the Territory of New Guinea (1920–1941), Territory of Papua (1902–1945) and then the Territory of Papua and New Guinea (1945–1979), which were all located on the island of New Guinea. Many of the native Papuan people traditionally lived in permanent settlements. In 1979 these territories became the independent sovereign country of Papua New Guinea.

18th century[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1788 Sydney New South Wales First permanent Australian city.[1] Largest city in Australia, capital of New South Wales.
1788 Parramatta New South Wales Second oldest settlement in Australia.[2] Now a part of the Sydney urban area.
1788 Kingston Norfolk Island Island settled as part of the Colony of New South Wales.[3] It is now a separate territory of Australia.
1791 Windsor New South Wales Third-oldest place of British settlement on the Australian continent.[4]
1794 Pitt Town Bottoms New South Wales Originally known as Mulgrave Place. As with Windsor, part of the City of Hawkesbury.[5]
1794 Richmond New South Wales Originally known as Richmond Hill, also part of the City of Hawkesbury.
1798 Liverpool New South Wales Now part of the greater Sydney metro area.[6]

19th century[]

1800s[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1801 Newcastle New South Wales
1803 Hobart Tasmania Largest city and capital of Tasmania.[7]
1803 George Town Tasmania
1806 Launceston Tasmania
1807 New Norfolk Tasmania
1808 Sorell Tasmania

1810s[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1812 Ross Tasmania
1813 Longford Tasmania
1814 Bathurst New South Wales Oldest inland settlement in Australia
1815 Blackheath New South Wales
1817 Shellharbour New South Wales
1818 Penrith New South Wales

1820s[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1820s Singleton New South Wales
1820 Campbelltown New South Wales Now part of the greater Sydney metro area.
1820 Maitland New South Wales Now part of the greater Newcastle.
1821 Morpeth New South Wales
1821 Port Macquarie New South Wales
1821 Mudgee New South Wales
1821 Perth Tasmania
1823 Gosford New South Wales
1823 Richmond Tasmania
1823 Wellington New South Wales
1824 Redcliffe Queensland First European settlement in Queensland
1825 Brisbane Queensland Largest city and capital of Queensland.
1826 King George's Sound (Albany) Western Australia Oldest settlement in the western half of Australia
1826 Burrangong Station (Young) New South Wales Settled as Burrangong Station, in Lambing Flat. Gazetted as Young in the 1860s.
1827 Burnie Tasmania
1827 Oceania House, Home Island Cocos-Keeling Islands The islands were uninhabited prior to 1827. They became a territory of Australia in 1955.
1827 Tarago New South Wales
1829 Clarence Western Australia Abandoned in the early 1830s.
1829 Fremantle Western Australia
1829 Perth Western Australia Established as Swan River Colony. Largest city and capital of Western Australia.
1829 Guildford Western Australia

1830s[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1830 Augusta Western Australia
1830 Berrima New South Wales
1830 Port Arthur Tasmania [8]
1831 Mandurah Western Australia
1831 Taree New South Wales
1832 Busselton Western Australia
1833 Northam Western Australia
1833 Goulburn New South Wales
1833 Muswellbrook New South Wales
1834 Portland Victoria Oldest European settlement in Victoria.
1834 Wollongong New South Wales
1834 Pinjarra Western Australia
1835 York Western Australia [9][10]
1835 Melbourne Victoria Largest city and capital of Victoria.
1836 Adelaide South Australia Largest city and capital of South Australia.
1836 Bunbury Western Australia
1836 Gawler South Australia
1836 Holbrook New South Wales
1836 Kempsey New South Wales
1836 Kingscote South Australia Oldest European settlement in South Australia
1836 Littlehampton South Australia
1836 Sunbury Victoria
1836 Wauchope New South Wales
1837 Bungendore New South Wales
1837 Colo Vale New South Wales
1837 Dandenong Victoria Now part of the greater Melbourne metro area.
1837 Southport Tasmania Most southern township in Australia.
1837 Yass New South Wales
1838 Buninyong Victoria
1838 Geelong Victoria
1838 Gundagai New South Wales
1838 Queanbeyan New South Wales
1839 Albury New South Wales
1839 Braidwood New South Wales
1839 Echunga South Australia
1839 Gumeracha South Australia
1839 Hahndorf South Australia
1839 Mount Barker South Australia
1839 Port Lincoln South Australia
1839 Seymour Victoria
1839 Thebarton South Australia

1840s[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1840s Benalla Victoria
1840s Dalby Queensland
1840s Traralgon Victoria
1840s Toowoomba Queensland
1840s Ulladulla New South Wales [11]
1840s Wee Waa New South Wales
1840 Macclesfield South Australia
1840 Melrose South Australia Oldest town in the Flinders Ranges.
1840 Oakbank South Australia
1842 Ballina New South Wales [12]
1842 Caboolture Queensland
1842 Horsham Victoria
1842 Kapunda South Australia
1842 Lobethal South Australia
1843 Boydtown New South Wales
1843 Eden New South Wales
1843 Wangaratta Victoria
1844 Bacchus Marsh Victoria
1844 Tweed Heads New South Wales
1844 Wingham New South Wales
1845 Jimboomba Queensland
1845 Port Pirie South Australia
1846 Grafton New South Wales [13]
1846 Ipswich Queensland
1846 Orange New South Wales
1846 Swan Hill Victoria
1847 Temora New South Wales
1847 Maryborough Queensland
1847 Rockingham Western Australia
1847 Wagga Wagga New South Wales
1848 Birdwood South Australia Originally named Blumberg.
1848 Nanango Queensland
1849 Armidale New South Wales
1849 Cooma New South Wales
1849 Dubbo New South Wales
1849 Gayndah Queensland
1849 Surat Queensland

1850s[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1850s Boggabri New South Wales
1850s Casino New South Wales [14]
1850s Woodside South Australia
1850 Cessnock New South Wales
1850 Deniliquin New South Wales
1850 Geraldton Western Australia
1850 Meadows South Australia
1850 Warwick Queensland
1850 Tamworth New South Wales
1851 Bega New South Wales [15]
1851 Bendigo Victoria
1851 Castlemaine Victoria
1851 Hamilton Victoria
1851 Horsham Victoria
1851 Moama New South Wales
1851 Sale Victoria
1851 Tenterfield New South Wales
1852 Bordertown South Australia
1852 Daylesford Victoria
1852 Glen Innes New South Wales
1852 Lismore New South Wales
1852 Mount Gambier South Australia
1852 Nowra New South Wales
1852 Port Augusta South Australia
1852 Port Elliot South Australia
1852 Walcha New South Wales
1852 Wodonga Victoria
1853 Beechworth Victoria
1853 Goolwa South Australia
1853 Currajong (Parkes) New South Wales Originally founded as Currajong, but known as "Bushman's". Renamed to Parkes in 1873.
1853 Port Gregory Western Australia
1854 Colac Victoria
1854 Camperdown Victoria
1854 Devonport Tasmania
1854 Echuca Victoria
1854 Gladstone Queensland
1854 Stirling South Australia
1854 Tinonee New South Wales
1854 Yamba New South Wales
1855 Gatton Queensland
1855 Samford Queensland
1855 Warrnambool Victoria
1856 Gunnedah New South Wales
1856 Inverell New South Wales
1856 Quirindi New South Wales
1857 Ararat Victoria
1857 Ulverstone Tasmania
1858 Chiltern Victoria
1858 Laidley Queensland
1858 Rockhampton Queensland
1858 Corowa New South Wales
1859 Allora Queensland
1859 Barmera South Australia
1859 Hay New South Wales
1859 Scottsdale Tasmania [16]
1859 Walgett New South Wales

1860s[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1860s Glenrowan Victoria
1860s Mangalore Victoria [17]
1860 Bairnsdale Victoria [18]
1860 Barnawartha Victoria
1860 Shepparton Victoria
1860 Narrabri New South Wales
1861 Bowen Queensland
1861 Bowral New South Wales
1861 Forbes New South Wales
1861 Moss Vale New South Wales
1862 Inglewood Queensland
1862 Moree New South Wales
1862 St George Queensland
1862 Tharwa Australian Capital Territory Oldest official settlement in the Australian Capital Territory
1863 Cossack Western Australia First town in northwest Australia
1863 Springsure Queensland
1863 Tambo Queensland Oldest town in western Queensland
1863 Victor Harbor South Australia
1863 Walhalla Victoria
1864 Clermont Queensland
1864 Northampton Western Australia
1864 Ingham Queensland
1864 Mitchell Queensland
1864 Somerset Queensland No longer inhabited.
1865 Burketown Queensland [19]
1865 Charleville Queensland
1865 Roebourne Western Australia
1865 Townsville Queensland
1866 Beenleigh Queensland
1866 Mount Victoria New South Wales
1867 Cloncurry Queensland
1867 Nambucca Heads New South Wales [20]
1867 Normanton Queensland
1867 Roma Queensland
1868 Gympie Queensland
1868 Cunnamulla Queensland
1868 Yeppoon Queensland
1869 Bourke New South Wales
1869 Darwin Northern Territory Largest city and capital of the Northern Territory.
1869 Walla Walla New South Wales

1870s[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1870s Beaudesert Queensland
1870s Coffs Harbour New South Wales [21]
1870s Eucla Western Australia
1870s Lithgow New South Wales
1870s Mackay Queensland
1870s Morwell Victoria
1870 Bellingen New South Wales [22]
1870 Bundaberg Queensland
1870 Cobar New South Wales Name derives from the Ngiyambaa language of the Wangaibon and Weilwan peoples.
1870 Hughenden Queensland
1870 Medlow Bath New South Wales
1870 Nagambie Victoria
1870 Nambour Queensland
1870 Oakey Queensland
1870 Yandina Queensland
1871 Charters Towers Queensland
1871 Cossack Western Australia
1871 Forsayth Queensland
1871 Landsborough Queensland
1871 Tewantin Queensland
1872 Adelaide River Northern Territory
1872 Alice Springs Northern Territory Second-largest city in the Northern Territory
1872 Condon Western Australia Abandoned 1927, in favour of Port Hedland
1872 Esk Queensland
1872 Forster New South Wales
1872 Lowood Queensland
1872 Stanthorpe Queensland
1873 Cooktown Queensland
1874 Southport Queensland
1876 Cairns Queensland
1876 Crows Nest Queensland
1876 Pittsworth Queensland
1876 Winton Queensland
1877 Chinchilla Queensland
1877 Mareeba Queensland
1877 Warragul Victoria
1878 Farina South Australia
1878 Killarney Queensland
1878 Miles Queensland
1879 Boulia Queensland
1879 Emerald Queensland
1879 Innisfail Queensland
1879 Katoomba New South Wales
1879 Moe Victoria

1880s[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1880s Canungra Queensland
1880s Gordonvale Queensland
1880 Milparinka New South Wales
1882 Ayr Queensland
1882 Boonah Queensland
1882 Hall Australian Capital Territory
1882 Mount Morgan Queensland
1883 Broken Hill New South Wales
1883 Broome Western Australia
1883 Caloundra Queensland
1883 Captains Flat New South Wales
1883 Carnarvon Western Australia
1883 Coolangatta Queensland
1883 Derby Western Australia
1883 Edmonton Queensland
1883 Narromine New South Wales
1884 Alpha Queensland
1884 Camooweal Queensland
1884 Wyalong New South Wales
1885 Barcaldine Queensland [23]
1885 Batemans Bay New South Wales
1885 Childers Queensland
1885 Cooroy Queensland
1885 Guyra New South Wales
1885 Old Onslow Western Australia Abandoned in 1925.
1885 Wallangarra Queensland
1886 Wyndham Western Australia
1887 Birdsville Queensland
1887 Blackbutt Queensland
1887 Eidsvold Queensland
1887 Mildura Victoria
1887 Mittagong New South Wales
1888 Flying Fish Cove Christmas Island Island was uninhabited prior to 1888. Became a territory of Australia in 1958.
1888 Goondiwindi Queensland
1888 Kilcoy Queensland
1888 Kuranda Queensland
1888 Longreach Queensland
1888 North Star New South Wales
1888 Uranquinty New South Wales [24]
1888 Woolgoolga New South Wales

1890s[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1890s Kingaroy Queensland
1890s Margaret River Western Australia
1890s Mount Hope New South Wales
1890 Eumundi Queensland
1890 Innamincka South Australia
1890 Oodnadatta South Australia
1890 Tarcutta New South Wales
1891 Maleny Queensland
1892 Bomaderry New South Wales
1892 Coolgardie Western Australia [25]
1893 Kalgoorlie Western Australia
1893 Tuncurry New South Wales
1895 Norseman Western Australia
1895 Waroona Western Australia
1896 Esperance Western Australia
1896 Port Hedland Western Australia
1897 Gwalia Western Australia Abandoned.
1898 Waverley Western Australia [26]

20th century[]

Year Town/City State/Territory Notes
1900s Fitzroy Crossing Western Australia
1901 Tarcoola South Australia
1904 Kyogle New South Wales
1904 Renmark South Australia
1908 Maroochydore Queensland [27]
1910 Dwellingup Western Australia
1910 Koojan Western Australia
1911 Berri South Australia
1911 Batchelor Northern Territory
1913 Canberra Australian Capital Territory Largest inland city, capital of the Australian Capital Territory and of Australia.
1913 Leeton New South Wales
1915 Coober Pedy South Australia
1916 Griffith New South Wales
1917 Quilpie Queensland
1919 Yerrinbool New South Wales
1920 Port Augusta South Australia
1920 Whyalla South Australia
1921 Monash South Australia
1922 Tin Can Bay Queensland Originally known as Wallu.[28]
1923 Mount Isa Queensland
1924 Onslow Western Australia Moved from Old Onslow.
1924 Biloela Queensland
1924 Monto Queensland
1924 Murray Bridge South Australia
1926 Katherine Northern Territory
1934 Tarraleah Tasmania
1936 Seventeen Seventy Queensland
1940 Loveday South Australia
1946 Wittenoom Western Australia Closed in 2007 due to asbestos contamination.[29]
1947 Bronte Park Tasmania
1947 Woomera South Australia
1953 Bindoon Western Australia
1956 Jurien Bay Western Australia
1960s Tom Price Western Australia
1961 Kununurra Western Australia
1961 Weipa Queensland
1965 Dampier Western Australia
1965 Goldsworthy Western Australia Former mining town. Abandoned in 1992.
1966 Newman Western Australia Originally named Mount Newman until 1981.
1967 Exmouth Western Australia
1968 Karratha Western Australia
1969 Moranbah Queensland
1970 Ravenswood Western Australia
1972 Shay Gap Western Australia Former mining town. Closed in 1994.
1980s Joondalup Western Australia
1981 Palmerston Northern Territory
1982 Jabiru Northern Territory
1987 Roxby Downs South Australia

See also[]

  • History of Australia
  • List of cities by time of continuous habitation

Notes[]

  1. ^ Colwell 2000, p. 13.
  2. ^ Rolfe 1969, p. 214.
  3. ^ "History and culture on Norfolk Island". www.norfolkonlinenews.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  4. ^ Elder, Bruce (2017). "Windsor, NSW". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Pitt Town, NSW". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Liverpool timeline". Liverpool City Council. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  7. ^ Colwell 2000, p. 36.
  8. ^ Colwell 2000, p. 9.
  9. ^ "Government Notice". The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal. 11 July 1835. p. 526. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  10. ^ "Perth Surrounds". State Heritage Office. Government of Western Australia. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Ulladulla, NSW". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  12. ^ "The Shire's European History at a Glance". Ballina Shire Council. January 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Petty Sessions". New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900). 22 December 1846. p. 1603. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Travel: Casino". Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney: Fairfax Media. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Travel: Bega". Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney: Fairfax Media. 26 June 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  16. ^ Jennings, Jeff. "Scottsdale". The Companion to Tasmanian History. The University of Tasmania. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Mangalore". Victorian Places. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Bairnsdale, Victoria". Australian Places. Monash University. 1999. Archived from the original on 4 April 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  19. ^ Eussen 2007, p. 33.
  20. ^ "Nambucca Heads". Walkabout. Fairfax Digital. Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 21 November 2006.
  21. ^ "Indigenous History of the Coffs Harbour Region". Coffs Collection. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Origins of the name Bellingen". Bellingen and Urunga Museum. 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Barcaldine and Barcaldine Shire". Queensland Places. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  24. ^ "A brief history of the village of Uranquinty". Uranquinty Progress Association. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  25. ^ Ford 2001, p. 14.
  26. ^ "Ghost Towns of Western Australia". Australia for Everyone. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  27. ^ "Maroochydore History". Sunshine Coast Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  28. ^ "Tin Can Bay". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  29. ^ Chris Uris and Frank Olito. "13 of the largest abandoned cities and ghost towns around the world, and the eerie stories behind them". Business News Insider. Retrieved 31 March 2019.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)

References[]

Further reading[]

  • The Evolution of Australian Towns (PDF). Report 136. Canberra: Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. 2014.
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