This is a list of wars, armed conflicts and rebellions involving the Commonwealth of Australia (1901–present) and its predecessor colonies, the colonies of New South Wales (1788–1901), Van Diemen's Land (1825–1856), Tasmania (1856–1901), Victoria (1851–1901), Swan River (1829–1832), Western Australia (1832–1901), South Australia (1836–1901), and Queensland (1859–1901). Dates indicate the years in which Australia was involved in the war. Notable militarised interstate disputes are included. For a list of wars that have been fought on the Australian mainland and in Australian waters, see the list of conflicts in Australia.
Colonial Australia refers to the Commonwealth of Australia's predecessor colonies, the colonies of New South Wales (1788–1901), Van Diemen's Land (1825–1856), Tasmania (1856–1901), Victoria (1851–1901), Swan River (1829–1832), Western Australia (1832–1901), South Australia (1836–1901), Queensland (1859–1901) and there territories and islands.
Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Result for Australia and/or its Allies | Australian losses (Killed or missing) |
Notable battles | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Military | Civilians | |||||
Sydney Cove War[1]
(1790–1800) |
Kingdom of Great Britain (1790–1800)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1802)
|
Aboriginal Australians | Victory
|
26[1] | ||
Pemulwuy's War
(1790–1802) part of Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars and Australian frontier wars |
Kingdom of Great Britain (1790–1800)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1802)
Burraberongal Tribe (1795–1802) |
Indigenous clans: | Victory
|
0 | 2[2] | |
Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars
(1794–1816 ) part of Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars and Australian frontier wars |
Kingdom of Great Britain (1795–1800)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–16) Burraberongal Tribe |
Indigenous clans:
Irish-convict sympathisers |
Victory
|
80–300 | unknown |
|
Black Wars[1][3][4]
(1799–1805) part of Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars and Australian frontier wars |
Kingdom of Great Britain (1799–1800)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1805) Burraberongal Tribe (1799–1802) |
Indigenous clans:
Irish-convict sympathisers |
Victory
|
unknown | unknown | |
Tedbury's War
(1802–1810) part of Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars and Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Indigenous clans: | Victory
|
unknown | 3+ | |
Hawkesbury Nepean War
(1814–1816) part of Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars and Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Indigenous clans:
Irish-convict sympathisers |
Victory
|
unknown | 9+ | |
Bathurst War
(1824) part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Wiradjuri nation | Victory
|
~20[10] | 0[10] | |
Black War
(1828–32) part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Aboriginal Tasmanians | Victory
|
201[11] | 18[11] | |
The Port Phillip District Wars
(1830–1850) part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
|
Aboriginal Australians
Gunditjmara People
|
Victory
|
0 | 7–11 |
|
The Eumeralla Wars
(1834–1849 or 1860s) part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
British colonists |
Aboriginal Australians
Gunditjmara People |
Victory
|
~80 | ||
Wiradjuri Wars[1]
(1838–1841) part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Wiradjuri people | Victory
|
Unknown | ||
The MacIntyre River War[12]
(1840–1849) part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Bigambul people | Victory
|
Unknown | ||
Mandandanji Land War[1]
(1842–1852) part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Mandandanji people | Victory
|
Unknown | ||
War of Southern Queensland (1843–1855)
part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Aboriginal Australians
Taribelang Aboriginal tribe United Tribes
|
Victory
|
~174 – 800 |
| |
Port Augusta War[1] (1844–1845)
part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Aboriginal Australians | Victory
|
|||
Flagstaff War
(1845–1846) Part of New Zealand Wars |
British Empire
Forces of Tamati Waka Nene Māori Kupapa |
Ngāpuhi Iwi | Inconclusive/Ceasefire | |||
Hutt Valley Campaign(1846)
Part of New Zealand Wars |
British Empire
Māori Kupapa |
Ngāti Toa Iwi
Ngāti Rangatahi Ngāti Hāuaterangi |
Victory | |||
Whanganui campaign(1847)
Part of New Zealand Wars |
British Empire
Māori Kupapa |
Ngāti Haua-te-rangi
Ngāti Patutokotoko Ngāti Ruaka |
Treaty
|
|||
Eureka Rebellion (1851–1854) | Colony of Victoria | Anti-Gold Licence Association (Red Ribbon Rebellion)
Stockade rebels |
Victory
|
2 | unknown | |
First Taranaki War
(1860–1861) Part of New Zealand Wars |
British Empire | Taranaki Māori
Kīngitanga |
Ceasefire
|
238 | 0 | |
Waikato Wars
(1863–1864) Part of New Zealand Wars |
British Empire | Kīngitanga | Victory | |||
Second Taranaki War
(1863–1866) Part of New Zealand Wars |
British Empire | Taranaki Māori | Inconclusive
|
|||
Tauranga Campaign(1864)
Part of the New Zealand Wars |
British Empire
Māori Kupapa |
Taranaki Māori
|
Victory | |||
East Cape War
(1865–1866) Part of New Zealand Wars |
British Empire
Māori Kupapa
|
Hau-Hauist Māori
Whakatohea Māori Urewera Māori Ngai Tama Māori |
Victory
|
|||
Titokowaru's War
(1868–1869) Part of New Zealand Wars |
British Empire
Māori Kupapa |
Ngāti Ruanui Iwi
Ngāruahine tribes |
Victory
|
|||
Te Kooti's War
(1868–1872) Part of New Zealand Wars |
British Empire
Māori Kupapa |
Māori Iwis
Ringatū adherents Pai Mārire adherents |
Victory
|
|||
Kalkadoon Wars 1870–1890
part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Kalkadoon people | Victory | 0 | 5 | |
Arnhem Wars(1880s–1890s)
part of Australian frontier wars |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Yolŋu people Bininj people Maung people |
Victory | Unknown | ||
Mahdist War(1885) | British Empire | Mahdist Sudan | Victory
|
0 | 0 | |
Third Anglo-Burmese war(1886–1887) | British Empire
|
Burmese Empire | Victory
|
0 | 0 | |
Jandamarra Guerrilla War
(1894–97) part of Australian frontier wars |
British Empire | Jandamarra Bunuba people |
Victory
|
2+ | unknown |
Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Result for Australia and/or its Allies | Australian losses (Killed or missing) |
Notable battles | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Military | Civilians | |||||
Second Boer War (1899–1902) Part of the Boer Wars during the Scramble for Africa |
List
|
Victory | 606[19] | None[19] | ||
Boxer Rebellion (1900–1901) |
List
|
Victory
|
6[20] | None[20] | ||
World War I (1914–1918) |
Victory
|
62,149[21] | None[21] | |||
Russian Civil War (1918–1920) |
Defeat
|
10[22] | Unknown | |||
Armenian–Azerbaijani War (1918–1920) Part of the Caucasus campaign of World War I, the Southern Front of the Russian Civil War and the Turkish–Armenian War |
|
Defeat
|
None | Unknown | ||
Egyptian Revolution of 1919 (1918–1919) |
Britain | Wafd Party | Victory
|
1+[24] | 31 | |
1927 Malaita Punitive Expedition (1927) |
|
Victory
|
None[26] | None[26] | ||
World War II (1939–1945) |
Victory
|
39,366[27] | 735[27] |
| ||
Anglo-Iraqi War (1941) Part of the Second World War |
Allied powers:
Air and naval support: |
Axis powers :
Military support : |
Victory
|
None | None | |
Korean War (1950–1953) |
Ceasefire
|
340[35] | None[35] | |||
Malayan Emergency (1950–1960) |
Victory
|
39[36] | None[36] | |||
Borneo Confrontation (1963–1966) |
Victory
|
23[37] | None[37] | |||
Vietnam War (1965–1973) |
Defeat
|
521[38] | None[38] | |||
Gulf War (1990–1991) |
Victory
|
None[39] | None[39] | |||
Australian-led international intervention into the 1999 East Timorese crisis (1999–2000) |
Supported by:
|
Supported by: |
Victory
|
2 | None | |
Sierra Leone Civil War (2000–2003) | Sierra Leone
United Kingdom (2000–2002) ECOMOG Forces (1998–2000) Executive Outcomes (1995–1996) Supported by: |
RUF
AFRC (1997–2002) West Side Boys (1998–2000) Liberia (1997–2002)
Supported by: |
Victory
|
None | None | |
Civil war in Afghanistan (1996–2001) (2001) Part of the Afghanistan conflict, the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, and the War on terror |
From September 2001: United States[citation needed] |
Supported by: |
Military stalemate
Continued clashes until the US-led invasion of Afghanistan
|
None | None | |
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) |
|
|
Defeat
|
41[69] | None[69] | |
Iraq War (2003–2009) |
|
Victory
|
2[39] | None[39] | ||
Operation Anode (2003–2013) |
|
Victory
|
1 [72][73] | None[72] | ||
Iraqi civil war (2006–2008) (2006–2008) Part of the Iraq War |
Sunni factions:
Shi'ite factions:
|
Victory
|
None | None[39] | ||
Operation Astute (2006–2013) Part of 2006 East Timorese crisis |
Victory
|
3[75] | None[75] | |||
Operation Ocean Shield (2009–2016) |
* Somali pirates | Victory
|
None | None | ||
Iraqi Civil War (2013–2017) (2014–2017) Part of the Iraqi conflict, spillover of the Syrian civil war, international military intervention against the Islamic State and the War on terror |
|
|
Victory
|
1[77] | 0 | |
American-led intervention in Syrian civil war (2014–2017) Part of the Syrian civil war, international military intervention against the Islamic State and the War on terror |
Supported by:
|
Supported by: |
Inconclusive, conflict ongoing
|
None | None | |
War on ISIL (2014–present) Part of the Second Libyan Civil War, War in Iraq (2013–2017), Syrian civil war and spillover of the Syrian civil war, Sinai insurgency, Boko Haram insurgency, insurgency in the North Caucasus, War on terror, and Moro conflict |
|
Ongoing
|
None | None | ||
Marawi crisis (2017) Part of the Moro conflict and the Military intervention against ISIL |
Philippines
Supported by: |
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant | Victory
|
None | None | |
Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present) (2017–2021) Part of the Iraqi conflict (2003–present) |
Iraq
Pro-Government Tribes[98] Rojava (cross-border cooperation since May 2018) CJTF-OIR (until 2021): Supported by: Kurdistan Region Supported by: |
Islamic State
Iraqi Baath Party |
Inconclusive, conflict ongoing
|
None | None | |
2019–2022 Persian Gulf crisis (2019–2020)
Part of the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict |
United States
CJTF–OIR |
Iran | Inconclusive/Other Result
|
None
|
None
|
|
Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022-present) | Ukraine
Supported by: NATO United States[122] Australia[123] Canada[124] Sweden[122] Argentina[125] Azerbaijan[126] Cambodia[127] Colombia Cyprus |
Russian Federation
Supported by: CSTO Belarus[128] Iran[129] Syria[130] North Korea[131] People's Republic of China (disputed)[132] |
Inconclusive, conflict ongoing
|
None | None |
The 'fertile and most beautiful fields' [...] and the river itself [...] provided the incentive and the means for an invasion of the Waikato. Auckland was swelling with new settlers; government ministers and land purchase officers were determined to acquire the fruitful acreage south of the city; the fact that it was controlled by a movement pledged not to sell land damned the Kingites in the eyes of most Europeans [...].
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