1770 Captain Cook lands in Botany Bay, home of the Eora people, and claims possession of the East Coast of Australia for Britain under the doctrine of 'terra nullius'. This means that the British declare the land as uninhabited and can claim ownership.

1789 Outbreak of smallpox introduced by the British leads to the devastation of the Aboriginal population in the Sydney area and later in other areas.

Aboriginal people resist the occupation of their land and the process of colonisation. Pemulwuy leads a campaign of resistance to British settlers on the land of the Darug people. Governor Macquarie orders punitive campaigns against Aboriginal people living around Sydney - the Darug, Tharawal and Gundangarra. Many Aboriginal people are killed and nations destroyed. A number of massacres of Aboriginal people are recorded over the years as the colony expands. Protectionist policies are implemented, restricting the right of free movement by Aboriginal people.