OUTPOST OF EMPIRE: What are the competing arguments about the foundations of Australia?

There are four predominant theories on the origins of the foundation of Australia including dumping ground for convicts, natural resources, trade routes and expansion of the empire. Obviously the most commonly discussed theory is that Australia was to become purely a ‘dumping ground’ for the unwanted criminals of Great Britain. The jail system of England was floundering and under considerable strain in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. As a result of the War of Independence in America, the United Kingdom could no longer send convicts to America, with jails filled to an unsustainable capacity; hulks began to be used as a short-term solution to the overcrowding. However the ships were an unhealthy breeding ground for disease and a long term solution was required. This came in the form of Australia; a large, resourceful and, believed to be, un-claimed land that’s very nature and geography would provide a ‘natural jail’. There is also the belief that Australia was colonised due to the vast natural resources it possessed and therefore the wealth it could proved for the empire. In particular was the flax and timber which was extremely valuable in the navy and the construction of ships. Similarly is the belief that colonisation was for economic purposes as Australia could significantly open up trade routes into Asia and in particular the Dutch East Indies. Yet again this would provide significant economic advantages for the Empire of Great Britain. Underpinning these theories is the notion that Australia was simply settled out of the desire to expand the empire. Obviously it would also solve the convict problems and generate wealth, but above these factors is the expansion of territory and therefore power for Great Britain. It is most likely that a combination of all the above factors ultimately contributed to the settlement of Australia.    

                                                        http://clubtroppo.com.au/2010/09/01/australian-alternate-history-week/

Convicts arriving at the 'dumping ground' in order to release the pressure on Great Britain's jail system is just one theory behind the settlement of Australia.