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| Events and Activities |   |
About the Bicentenary | |
Roll of Honour | |
History Prize | |
Community History Project | |
Thank You | |
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During 2004, Tasmania will commemorate the European exploration and settlement of the Island, which took place in the generation between 1772 and 1804. Following the arrival of the French expedition, led by du Fresne in 1772, a series of notable navigators visited the island including Cook, Bligh, Bass and Flinders, D’Entrecasteaux and Baudin. From 1797 onwards private parties of sailors from Sydney established transient camps on the Bass Strait Islands. In September 1803 Bowen set up the abortive settlement on the east coast of the Derwent, which was abandoned eleven months later. The culmination of the European reconnaissance came with the settlements of 1804, which laid the foundations of permanent settlement – that of Collins at Sullivan’s Cove in February and Paterson at George Town in November. The bicentennial program will also commemorate the much longer history of Aboriginal occupation of the Island, predating the arrival of Europeans by tens of thousands of years. Attention will also focus on the survival of Aboriginal culture and the indigenous contributions to contemporary society. During 2004, the emphasis will not fall on the origins of European settlement, its dates and locations, but on what Tasmanians – both immigrants and native born – have achieved over the last two centuries, and the challenges and difficulties they have faced. Tasmanians from every district and from all walks of life will be encouraged to consider a number of questions - what can we learn from the past?, how should we respond to it?, where have we come and where should we go from here? State Advisory Committee on the Bicentenary
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