Part 1 of Our Common Bond: Australia and its people

Everything on the test is in the free booklet, Our Common Bond. We help you practise reading the questions the way the test asks them. This page lists what Part 1 holds, and where questions tend to catch people.

Part 1 is about 9 pages. Most of it is facts you can learn by heart: dates, names, places.

The first peoples

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were here first. Their cultures are the oldest continuous cultures in the world. The booklet says Aboriginal peoples arrived between 65,000 and 40,000 years ago, by the record that archaeologists have found. Torres Strait Islander people come from the islands between the north tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea.

European settlement and the gold rush

Eleven convict ships, called the First Fleet, arrived from Great Britain on 26 January 1788. They went to the new colony of New South Wales, under its first Governor, Captain Arthur Phillip. Free settlers followed, mostly from Britain and Ireland.

Gold was found in 1851 in New South Wales and Victoria. People came from around the world. The Chinese were the first large group of migrants who were not from Europe. In ten years the population more than doubled.

1901 and the nation

In 1901 the separate colonies joined as a federation, the Commonwealth of Australia. The national parliament, government and High Court began then, under the new Constitution. The population was about four million. It did not count Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. That changed after the 1967 referendum.

English is the national language. More than 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are also valued. After World War II a new wave of migrants arrived, and many were not British.

States, territories and capitals

There are six states and two mainland territories. Know each capital.

• New South Wales: Sydney, the largest city
• Victoria: Melbourne
• Queensland: Brisbane
• Western Australia: Perth
• South Australia: Adelaide
• Tasmania: Hobart
• Australian Capital Territory: Canberra, the national capital
• Northern Territory: Darwin

Size facts are testable. Western Australia is the largest state. Queensland is second. Victoria is the smallest mainland state, and Tasmania is the smallest state. Read those four lines slowly. They look alike.

Traditions, days and symbols

A Welcome to Country is performed by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander custodian of the local area. An Acknowledgement of Country can be given by anyone. The two are different, and a question can ask you to tell them apart.

Australia Day is 26 January. It marks the arrival of the First Fleet. Anzac Day is 25 April. It remembers those who served and died, and it is named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, who landed at Gallipoli in 1915.

The booklet also covers the national symbols, the national flower, colours and gemstone, and the anthem, "Advance Australia Fair". Learn what each stands for.

Where people slip

• Dates that sit close together: 1788, 1851, 1901, 1967.
• Largest against smallest, state against territory.
• The word NOT or EXCEPT in a list question. Read the trap words.

Practise Part 1

Our mock draws on all four parts. Questions from this part come with a short reason for each answer.

Start the free mock

Last checked against Our Common Bond (2020): 22 October 2026

Questions people ask

Is Part 1 on the citizenship test?

Yes. Part 1 is one of the four testable parts. The test asks about it along with Parts 2, 3 and 4.

Do I need to learn the dates?

Learn the main ones: 1788, 1851, 1901 and 1967. Questions ask what happened, so link each date to its event.

Do I need the name of every capital?

Yes. Learn all six state capitals, plus Canberra and Darwin.

Is the song in the booklet on the test?

The anthem is in Part 1. Know its name and when it is sung. You do not need to sing it.