bondipom

The French got Australia instead
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_...55E421,00.html
Race for Australia up for sale
By Rosalie Higson
November 29, 2004
LIKE the race to the moon, or to the poles, the fierce competition between England and France to claim Australia was one of history's most momentous.

Rare documents and maps going under the hammer at Sotheby's in Melbourne tonight highlight just how close Australia was to being claimed by the French.

"The French were just as active, just as resourceful, brave and daring as the English, and they wrote just as many accounts of their travels," said Sotheby's head Mark Fraser. "Their fleet arrived in Botany Bay only an hour or two after the First Fleet."

And, even as the east coast was being settled by the British, the French continued their explorations. "While all this was going on, the Napoleonic wars broke out, which is really why the French ended up not getting Australia, because of the French Revolution," Mr Fraser said.

bondipom

Would there be so much beetroot and instead of coles and woollies would there be hypermarkets and Carrefour serving unpasteurised cheese?

JAJ

Perhaps Quebec would be an Australian state rather than a Canadian province.

Much of the British impetus to colonise Australia came from the loss of the American colonies. Had the American revolution not occurred, Australia could have ended up being colonised by a number of European powers and what we recognise today as Australian states could have been very distinct countries.

Jeremy

worzel

We had to send the convicts somewhere. Maybe Belmarsh will be where everyone emigrates in 50 years

PortJackson

Would have been a loss of such catch phrases as whinging pom,pommie b*stard(perhaps loss of pom altogether).Jean and Jacque's instead of Bruce and ,err, bruce.
No more mate mon amie.

wombat42

What about Whinging Frog and Froggie Bastard

wombat42

The French don't like to immigrate as much as the Poms and Irish do, who were the people that settled Australia, so if Australia was colonised by the French, Australia instead of being an independant country of 20 million would probably only have a population of around 2 or 3 million mainly french people and probably still be a French colony today like those small Pacific countries such as Tahiti.

bondipom

Immigrate or emmigrate?

Onto the big questions such as would deep fried cheese on a stick exist and would tomato sauce be put on a pie and get called a great Australian invention?

wombat42

Ronnie Biggs the Great Train Robber decided to immigrate to Belmarsh from
Brazil

bondipom

Et Christophe Skase et Alain Bonde pour le Presidente.

worzel

I keep meaning to look up the difference between the 2 but I cannot be bothered. Is one where you go from somewhere and one where you go to somewhere?

wmoore

Emigrate: To leave one country or region to settle in another

Immigrate: To enter and settle in a country or region to which one is not native

Not much difference really..... (except the reference to where you are from originally).

worzel

Worzel goes into smug mode!

wmoore

Clever sod! I suppose that's worth karma.

janeyray

Nothing to do with your post...but couldn't help noticing how many replies you've posted to!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW, things have moved ahead since I left!!

How are you anyway?!