What if Australia was never colonized by the British?

Yeah, it also has better drug laws that everyone misenteprets and takes as the centre of their country.

Don't forget the legal prostitution. More seriously, any reason the Dutch in the 1600s realising they are outgunned in NA couldn't go elsewhere as a strategy and reap long term benefits.
 
Don't forget the legal prostitution. More seriously, any reason the Dutch in the 1600s realising they are outgunned in NA couldn't go elsewhere as a strategy and reap long term benefits.
Yeah but without Britain as main opisition they are less outgunned and can claim atleast a small slice of coast.
 
More seriously, any reason the Dutch in the 1600s realising they are outgunned in NA couldn't go elsewhere as a strategy and reap long term benefits.
The Dutch never truely cared about settler colonies. The main reason for the North American Dutch colonies was the fur trade, although I do agree that the WIC (Dutch West Indies Company) was at least somewhat interested in setting up settler colonies. More so than the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company). The VOC only founded the Cape Colony because it was a useful halfway point for the trip to Asia. They barely cared for it besides that (and the population was unhappy with them. Since there is no profit for the VOC in founding settler colonies, they never bothered with them. That is why the Dutch never cared for Australia. Nothing to gain in Australia. If there was some use for Australia, the VOC might found a colony there. Ot if somehow a colony was founded outside of the VOC, that might work. It could work as a halfwaystation like the Cape (well more of a threequarter waystation). Maybe a shipwreck or something. Maybe a small English or French colony that is taken over by the Dutch in one of the wars and kept to secure the trade routes to the Dutch East Indies. Maybe it is decided that Terra Australis does not fall in the sphere of influence of the VOC (like the America's fell in the sphere of influence of the WIC).

The problem remains that the Netherlands was a pretty good place to live. People moved to the Netherlands instead of migration out of it, like in England. Religious minorities in the Dutch Republic were (relatively) free, so there was no real need to move. But yeah a small colony can slowly grow into a larger colony, like what happened to the Cape colony. All in all a Dutch colony in Australia is possible, but not terribly likely. A fully Dutch Australia is borderline impossible. It is too large for a small country like that, especialy considering the economuc problems of the 18th and especialy the 19th century.

I would say that the list from most likely European countries to colonise Australia to the least likely would be:

Britain
France,
The Dutch Republic,
Portugal,
Spain,
Denmark,
Sweden,
Other
 
What about Japan? Could they get in on the island if colonization is delayed enough for modernization to go through (assuming that still happens in this TL).

It's also possible that one of the minor colonizers from OTL (Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy, etc) could grab it as a prestige colony, especially if colonization is delayed until the Scramble for Africa (if that happens ITTL).

Of course the most fun answer here is that it goes to Courland.
 
  • What about Japan? Could they get in on the island if colonization is delayed enough for modernization to go through (assuming that still happens in this TL).
  • I did not mention Asian powers, like China, Japan or the Ottoman Empire on my list, because I m uncertain of their capability and will to colonise other parts of the world. They never did so OTL, so I guess they won't do it OTL. And for Japan, the late 19th century is simply too late. Australia will be gone by that time. Same story for Germany, Belgium and Italy.
 
Maybe the Dutch colonise us.

Could see something like the Omani's in the north-west, dutch in the south-west, french in the south-east and then everyone working there way up from there.

The Omani's (Qaboos) if they where to come would go to the north-west cause lets face it, there's a reason we don't have any major settlements there, its too damn hot. It may suit them however. However what they will do up there is beyond me.

The dutch in the south-west makes sense. I could see that south-west corner of the state being where their major metro areas are (could see the main settlements from otl Geraldton to otl albany) and even along the southern coast since its pretty moderate relatively speaking. The South-west corner is green and whilst looking relatively small, is still at least 10 times larger than the netherlands itself. Also it wouldn't be an english enclave like otl (no seriously, poms outnumber aussies in W.A). I think that corner will be where 90-95% of the population would live (i mean its still a 200k sq km + region, so its very big) and would sustain a good population (maybe up to 10 mill). I imagine between that and the east indies it becomes the major colonies for them.

The French where snooping around Tasmania (they landed before the brits i do believe) so them settling the south-east corner if things go to plan isn't unreasonable. If that research trip to Tasmania ends up being a colonising one instead, perhaps they could end up taking the south-east (meaning Melbourne is french).

As for the rest, who knows if the British don't come here. I have a feeling one of the other colonial powers (that aren't Portugal or Spain cause i can't see them getting to the east coast) will colonise the place eventually (further north), until then i see it being a power struggle between the existing colonial powers until they settle on borders.
 
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