Australia



Australia, sometimes colloquially called "Oz", (PROSE: Invasion of the Cat-People) was both a continent and a nation located on Earth. It was part of Australasia. (AUDIO: The Transit of Venus)

The redback spider inhabited Australia. (PROSE: Invasion of the Cat-People)

Early history
Circa 40,000 BC, five Euterpians stranded on Earth visited Australia and taught the Aborigines to sing. (PROSE: Invasion of the Cat-People)

Circa 35,500 BC, Monarch travelled to Earth in his ship. Australia was the site of his first visit. He abducted several Aborigines, including their leader Kurkutji, and gave them android bodies. He promised Kurkutji rulership of his people when Monarch made his final visit to conquer the planet. (TV: Four to Doomsday)

The Dutch explorer Tasman charted the north and west coasts of Australia and he called the land New Holland. In later years, the south coast was charted by Captain James Cook of the Endeavour and, on 28 April 1770, his nephew Isaac became the first Englishman to step foot on the east coast. The British Empire claimed the land of Australia and used it as a prison colony to ship convicts to. The idea was recommended to the British government by Joseph Banks after he was confronted by Ian Chesterton who accidentally gave Banks the idea. (AUDIO: The Transit of Venus)

In 1658, Polsbroek described Australia as "an inhospitable, desolate island". (AUDIO: The Waters of Amsterdam)

In 1863, the Third Doctor dropped off Charlie Fisher in Australia to give him a new life. (COMIC: Backtime)

In 1881, the Flying Dutchman appeared off the coast of Australia. It was watched by the Twelfth Doctor from a nearby ship which was transporting Prince George. (COMIC: Ghosts of the Seas)

20th century
Tegan Jovanka's paternal grandfather emigrated from Yugoslavia to Australia. He always referred to Australia as "the New World." (PROSE: Cold Fusion)

In the 1920s, the Doctor met Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba and learned her party trick of shattering glass with a high-pitched note. (TV: The Power of Kroll)

In 1932, the Doctor met Australian cricket champion Donald Bradman and took five wickets for New South Wales. (TV: Four to Doomsday)

In the 1960s, Janet's younger brother Gareth moved to Australia. He was bit on the backside by a large spider and died there. (PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Witch Mark)

In the 1970s, the Third Doctor, in an attempt to escape his exile, got the TARDIS to materialise in the Australian desert, where, with the aid of Murray Stevens and some Aborigines, he thwarted Rudolph Steiner's Gemini Plan. (COMIC: Gemini Plan)

Some time later, a group of Daleks based underneath Antarctica used captured nuclear submarine the USS Jefferson to attack Sydney. Their plan to use the city as a base from which to convert humans into Daleks and conquer Earth was defeated by the Doctor with the aid of Lt Davis. (COMIC: *Sub Zero)

Later still, the Doctor and Sir Humphrey Picton visited an Australian radio telescope base to observe the test run of Dr Louis French's new radio wave accelerator. The Doctor realised that its use would cause disaster, and tried in vain to prevent it. The accelerated radio waves disrupted Earth's atmosphere, creating a huge storm that heavily damaged the research station and resulted in French's death. (COMIC: Is Anyone There?)

In 1979, the remains of Skylab fell over Australia. One piece endangered Paul Forbes, who was in the Gibson Desert, but he was saved when the Seventh Doctor advised him to take three steps to the left. (PROSE: Three Steps to the Left)

In the 1980s, Bruce and Angela Healy resided in Australia, where they had a veterinary practice. (COMIC: Yonder... The Yeti)

Also in the 1980s, Ace's friend Midge once went to Australia on holiday. He sent her a postcard saying how lonely he felt so far from home. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Revelation)

On 14 July 1993, the Seventh Doctor met with the 37-year-old Dorothée in a café in Glebe, Sydney. (PROSE: Set Piece)

In 1995, the Doctor, Ace and Bernice Summerfield visited the interdimensional café in Glebe. (PROSE: Set Piece) At the same time, Kathy Chambers set up her Chambers Pharmaceuticals company in Brisbane as cover for experiments with Cybermen technology. (AUDIO: The Gathering)

In 1996, the Doctor, Chris Cwej and Roz Forrester visited Sydney for a week. (PROSE: Return of the Living Dad)

21st century
On 22 September 2006, Brisbane's phone network was hit by an electronic attack to cover for the creation of System. Tegan Jovanka was running a small animal feed company in the city at the time, having taken it over from her father. (AUDIO: The Gathering)

In 2007, Australian soldiers were involved in a war in Indonesia. (PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Warhead)

In 2008, UNIT Australia fought off an advance party of Ice Warriors. (COMIC: The Age of Ice) In the same year, Australia's national science agency CSIRO was part of a teleconference on the Atraxi crisis. (TV: The Eleventh Hour)

In 2009, after Earth was returned from the Medusa Cascade, Sydney was one of the cities celebrating. (TV: Journey's End) Later that year, Australia was among the nations which agreed to let John Frobisher speak on their behalf to the 456. (TV: Children of Earth: Day Three) John O'Brian and his parents visited Australia in 2009 for three weeks. (AUDIO: The Ghost House)

In 2010, a Chronal wave hit Sydney as part of a major Skith assault. (COMIC: The Age of Ice)

In the 2010s, Australia was among the places where newly-hatched Zygons were settled across the world as part of Operation Double. (TV: The Zygon Invasion)

In 2018, Australia was part of the Australasian Zone and the malevolent Ramón Salamander had set up a research facility there back in 2013: here, he had tricked scientists into causing "natural" disasters. An anti-Salamander group under Giles Kent was based near the facility. The Second Doctor and his companions Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield arrived on an Australian beach and were drawn into Kent and Salamander's machinations. (TV: The Enemy of the World)

In 2020, Amy Pond discussed the Australian outback as a possible place for the Silurians to live, when considering the prospect of both races living together openly. (TV: Cold Blood)

In the 2040s, Ed Gold pushed for Australia to get involved in the space race. Sometime after 2044, Australia had built a space elevator off its western coast. (TV: The Waters of Mars)

In 2058, Australia would be part of the Bowie Base One mission on Mars. (TV: The Waters of Mars)

In 2096, Australia was the most stable nation on Earth after the Myloki conflict of the 2060s, due to a dispersed population and comparative wealth. (PROSE: The Indestructible Man) However, soon afterwards Australia fell victim to the massive economic and social upheavals caused by widespread use of the Interstitial Mass Transit System, becoming destitute and starving. Many Australians fled, most of them ending up at the Achebe Gorge refugee camp. (PROSE: Transit)

During the 22nd century Dalek occupation of Earth, a human resistance movement was formed in Australia, but was crushed by the Daleks within days. (AUDIO: Masters of Earth)

Far future
In the 51st century, Australia was either part of or occupied by the Supreme Alliance. Magnus Greel became known as "the Butcher of Brisbane" for his horrific experiments carried out there. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang; AUDIO: The Butcher of Brisbane) By this time, Brisbane was known as "the Brisbane Death Zone." (AUDIO: The Butcher of Brisbane)

In 200100, Australia and its neighbours collectively formed Australasia. When the Daleks attacked Earth, Australasia was referred to as "just... gone" after a bombing run. (TV: The Parting of the Ways)

Languages
The primary language in Australia was English (TV: A Christmas Carol), for Australia was settled by the British. However, there were also many languages spoken by the Aborigines (PROSE: Invasion of the Cat-People), both prior to European settlement (TV: Four to Doomsday) and afterwards.

Other facts
One of the Fourth and Fifth Doctor's companions, Tegan Jovanka, was a native of Australia, having grown up on her father's farm near Brisbane. (TV: Logopolis) Her aunt Vanessa was also from Australia (TV: Logopolis), as was her cousin Colin Frazer (TV: Arc of Infinity) and her maternal grandfather Andrew Verney (TV: The Awakening).

Tegan, who described herself as "downright Bolshie," was a supporter of Australian republicanism. (AUDIO: The Children of Seth)

The Third Doctor bought a beach-house in Sydney while his house in Kent was being painted. (PROSE: Sleepy)

Eugene Jones planned to take his friend and co-worker Linda to Australia before his death in 2007. (TV: Random Shoes)

In 2008, Martha Jones told Plummer that she had been to Australia. (TV: Reset)

The Eleventh Doctor visited Australia with Kazran Sardick and Abigail Pettigrew, visiting Uluru and the Sydney Opera House. (TV: A Christmas Carol)

When Gavin left Earth to rule his planet in 2010, Sarah Jane Smith had Mr Smith cover it by saying that he had moved to Australia. (TV: The Empty Planet)

Turlough once jokingly told Tegan that "stubbornness is one of Australia's greatest exports." (AUDIO: The Emerald Tiger)

Behind the scenes

 * Janet Fielding is Australian while Katy Manning is a naturalised Australian citizen.
 * The spin-off, K9, is produced in Australia.
 * Australia was the second country to buy Doctor Who and the only country to buy every missing episode — except, of course, "The Feast of Steven", which was never exported anywhere.