Many of the first European settlers to come to Australia were less than eager to be there. They arrived as convicts in the first half of the nineteenth century, when Britain was using the land down under as a penal colony. Features this week: King MacBeth - this week's Famous Scot All about "The Kilt" Clan of the Week: Clan Kinnaird Cut to: Scottish Film Scots were among those sent to Australia to serve time, and many remained afterwards, working as farmers and laborers. Of course, some Scottish immigrants went voluntarily, including explorers Charles Stuart and John McDouall Stuart. Lachlan Macquarie, a military man from the Inner Hebrides, was governor of New South Wales for eleven years. Macquarie helped to build the area into a community, instead of just a penal colony. When the Commonwealth of Australia was founded in 1900, its first Governor-General was the Marquis of Linlithgow. Distinguished first-generation Scottish Australians include Andrew "Banjo" Paterson and Robert Gordon Menzies. Paterson was the lawyer, journalist, and writer who wrote the world-famous song, "Waltzing Matilda." Menzies became Prime Minister of Australia in 1939, and held that office for an impressive sixteen years. Today, Australia boasts a truly multi-cultural population, including active Scottish heritage and clan groups. Links Welcome to Australia Australia Street