  == Why are British colonisers referred to as 'European'? ==   Can anyone point to a reason why the first fleet should be treated as 'European' settlement of Australia - were there any reasonably significant number of non-British people involved in it?  From other reading, I see 'European' being used to legitimize a British colony established on the continent - which to date has had very little European about it (no more than a few Dutch or French names and very few actual continental Europeans arriving to Australia until the post WWII period). Architecture and customs of Australia up until WWII are very British with no recognizable European influence in law, cultural norms, organization of the society or political views.  In that context it seems misleading to claim that the 'in December 1792, the European population was 4,221, of whom 3,099 were convicts' - when this was really the count of people on the three British fleets arriving to Sydney - presumably a very English affair?    