History of the Democratic Crowned Republic of Calar
Background History of the Democratic Crowned Republic of Calaré
The History of Calaré began with the arrival of European explorers, who first sighted the country in 1770 and formally began settlement in 1828. Since then Calaré has grown from a small colonial backwater to a modern and sophisticated nation-state that is ready to take its rightful place on the world stage.
Prior to this there is evidence of indigenous settlement having taken place at least 10,000 years ago, with the Aboriginal peoples having come to Australia over 40,000 years ago.
Pre History
From the end of the last ice age some 10,000 years ago, the region was home to the Wiradjuri , Dharug , Gundungurra and Tharawal peoples (amongst others). Most Aborigines were hunter-gatherers with a complex oral culture and spiritual values based upon reverence for the land and various mythological beliefs.
In 1770, the isolation of these people ended when Lieutenant James Cook sailed past Calaré, on his way up the eastern seaboard of the continent. The first European to actually set foot in the region was George Bass, who in 1797 led an expedition across the Limestone Plains to edge of the tablelands and down into the Gordon Valley.
Colonial Calaré
Duvall was the first area of Calaré to be settled in 1828, when it was established as a penal settlement. More settlements were subsequently established at other locations, with settlers coming for a variety of reasons. The next to come were the squatters whose seeking of grazing lands for their sheep flocks led to the establishment of Bhuxton in 1839. In the meantime, settlers seeking the beautiful timbers of the Red Cedar tree on the coast established Lynne 1840 and Jervis Harbour in 1841. For many years, there were only a few thousand settlers in Calaré. Further settlements were opened at Monroe, Bonython and Cork by the late 1840s.
Despite their slow beginnings, these centres would boom with the discovery of gold and gemstones on the tablelands in the 1860s. Coupled with the arrival of the railways in the 1880s, the latter half of the nineteenth century saw a steady growth in the population of the region, and with it a growing sense of a distinct local identity.
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