State Archives Collection

The process to federate the six Australian colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia took over fifty years from its beginnings in the 1840s

The 1880s proved to be 'the turning point at which the 'federal idea' found in all the schemes of the previous forty years would be transformed into the Federation movement'

The Commonwealth of Australia came into being on Tuesday 1 January 1901. The colonies became States and the transfer of powers, functions and property to the Commonwealth Government began

Significant events in the 50 year process to federate the six Australian colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia, 1846-2001