Australasia
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Map showing the Empire in Australasia, coloured pink.

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Rumours of a 'Great South Land' had abounded since the discovery of New Guinea. The Dutch, having the island of Java, sent an explorer Tasman who discovered the island he named 'Van Diemans Land' in 1642 after the Governor of Java. In 1688 the northwest coast was visited by the Englishman William Dampier, but it was not until 1770 that Captain James Cook landed on the east coast, that the land was claimed for Britain. Naming the new land 'New South Wales' it encompassed most of the eastern part of Australia.
Prison overcrowding in the mother country had caused the transport of convicts to work in the colonies in North America. The rebellion that formed the USA had foiled that plan, so in 1788 a shipment of convicts was sent to New South Wales to form the new penal colony at Port Jackson in Sydney Cove. ( Cook's landing place of Botany Bay being unsuitable). As the convict traffic increased to form new penal settlements, so did the flow of 'free' settlers. They eventually objected to any more convicts and transportation to the colony ceased in1853.
As the continent opened up, further colonies were founded eventually amounting to five on the continent and the re-named 'Van Diemens Land' which became Tasmania in 1855. The eastern colony of New South Wales was split up to form Victoria in 1851 and Queensland in 1859. Western Australia was founded as a new colony in 1829 and due to labour shortages received convicts from 1850 to 1868. South Australia, which had received no convicts, was formed in 1842. The Northern Territory, first visited by the Dutch in 1623, then by Mathew Flinders in 1803,was formally acquired in 1824 to forestall French colonization. It was administered by South Australia from 1863 until 1911, thereafter by the federal Government until 1974.
Each colony, at some stage being granted self-government, was formed into a federation, called the Commonwealth of Australia on 1st January 1901. A single self-governing dominion within the British Empire.
A recent referendum voted overwhelmingly against constitutional changes for a republic, keeping the Sovereign as Head of State. Australia remains in the Commonwealth of Nations.

After discovering Van Diemans land, Tasman sailed east to land on what he called New Zealand in 1642. Named after the province of Zeeland in his native Holland. On one of his Pacific Ocean expeditions Captain James Cook thoroughly charted the islands and claimed them for Britain in 1769. With colonization from New South Wales and The New Zealand Company's settlers, British sovereignty was proclaimed in 1840 with the Treaty of Waitangi which respected the rights and lands of the indigenous Maoris and the settlers. A limited constitution was granted in 1852 with responsible self-government in 1856. Antagonisms soon grew with the settlers and government illegally taking Maori land which culminated in the 'Land Wars' between 1862 - 1881.
On 26th September 1907 New Zealand became a dominion within the British Empire.
New Zealand is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Papua  Since 1971

The western half of the island of New Guinea, named after the Guinea coast of Africa by the Spanish, was annexed by the Dutch in 1828. The Germans, in their scramble for overseas possessions, took the northern part of the eastern half and the British took the southern part in 1884. In 1904 the territory of British New Guinea was transferred to Australia, who on the outbreak of WWI seized Kaiser Wilhelmsland, or German New Guinea. The main islands of the Bismarck Archipelago were renamed New Britain & New Ireland. During WWII Japanese expansionism was fought off by the Australians. The whole of the eastern half  was unified to form Papua New Guinea in 1968 becoming an independent state from Australian administration on 16th August 1975. Papua New Guinea is a member of the Commonwealth.

WPHC  Since 1978

 In 1885 the German New Guinea Company established control of the north Solomons. Britain declared a protectorate over the southern islands in 1893 seizing the German possessions in WWI.  During World War II the Solomons witnessed fierce battles between Japanese and Allied forces. On 7 July 1978 The Solomon Islands were granted independence from Britain and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Captain James Cook named the Islands in 1774. The islands were administered jointly by the British and French from 1887. In World War II they served as a major Allied base. They became independent as the republicof Vanuatu and member of the Commonwealth of Nations on 30th July 1980.

Tasman first visited the islands in 1643, then Captain James Cook in 1774, but the credit for the major charting of the islands goes to Captain William Bligh of H.M.S. Bounty fame. The islands were ceded to the British in 1874. They were granted independence as Fiji on 10th October 1970. After a military coup, the islands were proclaimed a republic in 1987, remaining a member of the Commonwealth.