The first British ships arrived in Botany Bay in 1788 - they were 'prison ships' and the first settlers were convicts. Australia's first police force was a group of twelve of the best-behaved convicts! Later, immigrants from other European countries started to arrive. Today, nearly 25% of Australians were born in another country. The main language of Australia is English but there are also a lot of Italian, Greek, Cantonese and Arabic speakers.