Australia includes the former British colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania. Australia is a self-governing dominion of the British Commonwealth.

     Major Thomas Mitchell (1792-1855) was the Surveyor-General of the colony of Australia. He laid out roads, bridges and towns and surveyed much of the eastern part of Australia
     In 1846 he made a  year-long journey into central Queensland in 1846. This expedition led to the opening up of rich pastoral areas of Central Queensland. After naming the Victoria River, he returned to Sydney.