In this Very Short Introduction, Kenneth Morgan provides a wide-ranging thematic introduction to modern Australia, examining the main features of its history, geography and culture since the beginning of European settlement in New South Wales in 1788. It highlights the distinctive features of Australian life by placing contemporary developments in historical perspective, by paying attention to Australia's indigenous culture, and by making connections between Australia and the wider world. Morgan also balances his discussion of the successful growth of Australian institutions and democratic traditions with the struggles that occurred in the making of modern Australia—in other words, between the optimistic approach to life in the Antipodes and the more negative view of the "black armband tradition."