Federation

=__**FEDERATION**__= Australia only became a united country in 1901. Prior to that it was made up of a group of self governing colonies, each one ruled by a governor.

Each colony had different rules and did many things differently to each other. They even had different widths for their railway tracks, so when you went by train from one colony to another you had to get off at the border and swap trains!

Eventually more and more people began to agree that the colonies needed to combine and form one nation. This became known as Federation, and it finally occurred in 1901. This is an invitation to Federation celebrations in New South Wales. You can look at this timeline to find out the events that led up to Federation: [|Federation timeline.]

Read through the fact sheets to find out more about Federation: [|Federation Fact Sheets]

This is an invitation to a Federation celebration in Victoria.

Australia also received a new flag in 1901. Prior to Federation each colony had its own flag. A competition was held to design a new flag to represent all of Australia. You can learn more about the Australian flag here, as well as have a go at designing your own Australian flag: [|A flag for the nation.] Before there were computer games children entertained themselves by playing the "Around the Commonwealth by Aeroplane" board game.

The constitution is a document that contains the laws that govern Australia. You can find out more about the Australian Constitution here: [|An Australian Constitution.]

This is an early draft of the Australian Constitution.