Church+In+Australia+Timeline

The following table is a timeline of the major events in the Church in Australia. You need to copy and paste the events in to Keynote to make a timeline. Use hyperlinks to link the dates to the events in the timelines. If you can't remember how to use hyperlinks, use the help menu.


 * 1788 || Arrival of First Fleet in Sydney ||
 * || First Christian service in Australia conducted by Richard Johnson, an Anglican chaplain. ||
 * || Louis le Receveur, a Franciscan friar with a French expedition, dies and is buried in Botany Bay. ||
 * 1793 || First Australian church built in Sydney. ||
 * 1803 || First public mass offered by James Dixon, a convict priest. ||
 * 1804 || Revolt of Irish convicts at Castle Hill leads to banning of Catholic services. ||
 * 1809 || Ebenezer Church of Hawkesbury River built for Presbyterian worship (the oldest Australian church still in use today). ||
 * 1810 || Congregationalists begin holding services in Sydney. ||
 * 1812 || Methodists begin holding meetings in Sydney. ||
 * 1814 || The Native Institution for aboriginal Children is opened at Parramatta (it closed in 1826). ||
 * 1820 || John Therry and Phillip Connolly arrive in Sydney, the first Catholic priests to serve in Australia with the approval of the British Government. ||
 * 1821 || The first missionary to Aboriginal people, William Walker, arrives in Sydney. ||
 * 1829 || The English Parliament publishes the //Catholic Emancipation Act,// which gives Catholics the same political rights as Protestants. ||
 * 1831 || Australia's first recorded Baptist Church service held in Sydney. ||
 * 1832 || Quakers arrive in Sydney and begin holding meetings the following year in Hobart. ||
 * 1835 || John Bede Polding becomes the first Catholic Bishop in Australia (he later became Archbishop in 1842). ||
 * 1836 || William Broughton consecrated as Australia's first Anglican Bishop. ||
 * || Govenor Richard Bourke passes the //Chruch Act// which ends domination of the Church in England and allows funding for all the main denominations. ||
 * 1838 || The Sisters of Charity arrive in Sydney, the first religious order to serve in Australia. ||
 * || Caroline Chisolm arrives in Australia and begins assisting immigrants in New South Wales. ||
 * || The first large group of Lutheran immigrants settle at Klemzaig, near Adelaide, South Australia. ||
 * 1844 || Australia's first permanent synagogue opens in Sydney. ||
 * 1846 || Australia's first Church of Christ established by British migrants in South Australia. ||
 * || Rosendo Salvado begins New Norica Mission in Western Australia. ||
 * 1850 || Unitarians begin meeting in Sydney. ||
 * 1851 || Australian gold rushes begin. ||
 * || Official missionaries representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (mormons) arrive in Sydney. ||
 * 1854 || The St. Vincent De Paul Society begins working in Australia. ||
 * 1857 || John Bede Polding founds the Good Samaritan Sisters, an Australian Catholic order. ||
 * 1866 || Mary MacKillop and Julian Tnison Woods begin the sisters of St Joseph, an Australian Catholic Order. ||
 * 1871 || Representatives of the London Missionary Society arrive in the islands of the Torres Strait. ||
 * 1872 || Victoria becomes the the first colony to end government funding to religious schools (Western Australia was the last, in 1895). ||
 * 1880 || The Salvation Army comes to Australia, holding their first meeting in Adelaide. ||
 * 1882 || The Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) begins work in Australia. ||
 * 1885 || Patrick Francis Moran becomes Australia's first Cardinal. ||
 * || Charles Strong establishes the progressive Australian Church in Melbourne. ||
 * 1886 || Seventh Day Adventists open first Australian church in Melbourne. ||
 * 1890 || First Australian mosque founded in Adelaide. ||
 * || Decade of depression begins, with bank crashes, strikes and high unemployment. ||
 * 1891 || An institution for Australian deaconesses is founded in Sydney. ||
 * || Arrival of first Melkite priest in Australia. ||
 * 1896 || The first Greek Orthodox priest comes to Australia and conducts services in Melbourne and Sydney. ||
 * 1897 || The Church of England begins establishing bush brotherhoods. ||
 * 1898 || Foundation stone for Australia's first Orthodox Church laid in Surry Hills, NSW. ||
 * || Christian scientists begin holding services in Melbourne. ||
 * 1901 || Federation of Australia. ||
 * || Presbyterian groups unite to form the Presbyterian Church of Australia. ||