| Exploration | Empty Land | New Nation | Sydney Cove |
| Local Aborigines | Captain Phillip | The Settlement | First Governors |
Captain Cook's Voyage of Discovery
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British history of world exploration is
long, colourful and full of romance. From the 16th to the
19th century, she expanded her empire to encompass the
entire globe. Such was the extent of this empire that
during the 19th century, the proud boast of the British
was, "The sun never sets on the British
Empire." At home, British property law lead directly to an explosion in the prison population during the 17th century, and the number of incarcerated persons became so large that British prisons were unable to cope with them. The cost of housing prisoners, even in old hulks, was regarded as being so high that it was cheaper to banish convicts to the colonies than to house them in these derelict prison ships. The favoured destination for convicts in the early days of this policy was the American colonies. The timing of Lieutenant Cook’s voyage to the South Pacific in 1770 was fortuitous in that he ‘discovered’ the perfect site for a prison colony and made that discovery at a time when British control in the American colonies was beginning to wane. The American colonists were soon to wage a war against the British and eventually win their freedom. Following the American War of Independence and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, a new prison colony was required. The lands of the South Pacific explored by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770 appeared to provide an ideal location, and the vast distance would ensure that any convict sent there would never return. Very few of the people transported to Australia in fact ever saw their homeland again. |
The First European Explorers
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Time and archaeological discoveries in Western Australia now reveal that Captain Cook was not in fact the first European to visit this continent. It was the Dutch who were the first to ‘discover’ Australia or New Holland as they called it. The term "discovery of Australia" carries with it the assumption that the land had never been explored. Aboriginal tribes have in fact populated Australia for over 30,000 years, and just as Columbus did not discover America, neither did Cook, nor the Dutch, discover Australia. These explorers were simply the first Europeans to visit and have their landfall recorded. Similarly even though there is evidence that the Vikings were the first Europeans to visit North America, the native Indian tribes have lived there for thousands of years, and all had developed unique cultures in harmony with their environment. The reason for Cook’s journey to the South Pacific was driven by science, but he also had the option of exploring the southern ocean for lands believed to lie there. Cook hit the Australian coastline almost by accident, but he drew meticulous maps from this encounter and these were invaluable for many of the expeditions which followed in later years. |
The Empty Continent
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When British law was imposed on Australia, the native tribes ceased to have any rights in their traditional land. The belief that ‘might was right’ was also adopted as a means of subjugating the native people in the American colonies. This policy had also been one ‘rule of conquest’ throughout history, and the victor has always extracted a heavy toll from the vanquished. Just as white settlers and the military began to "tame the savage" in North America, so too did the Anglo Saxon population that was sent to Australia. The treatment metered out to the local aboriginal tribes is a sad chapter in Australian history that comes down to us not yet fully resolved at the close of the 20th century. Based on the morality of the day, this ‘taming’ of indigenous people was regarded as ‘normal’ though even then some enlightened people stated that this dispossession was an injustice. It is only with the benefit of time and education that we can see the wrong that has been wrought on all native peoples |
Founding a Nation
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On Sunday, 13th of May 1787, Captain Arthur Phillip set sail from Portsmouth with a small fleet of 11 ships. Eight months later, on Wednesday, January the 16th, 1788 his ship, the Sirius, dropped anchor in the clear blue waters of Botany Bay. This voyage by Phillip is known as the First Fleet, and its safe arrival here is a tribute to his skills as a seaman and a leader. Botany Bay was chosen for settlement based largely upon the recommendation of Joseph Banks, the botanist on Cook’s voyage. Botany Bay, though a paradise for the botanist, was, however, found to be almost totally unsuitable for settlement. The search parties Phillip sent out quickly located a more suitable site on the shores of Port Jackson, to the north of the Botany Bay. This site had fresh running water and a deep, protected bay. The place they found was located on Sydney Cove and this became the site for the new city. As Phillip made ready to leave for the new site a French fleet led by Jean-Francois Galoup, Comte de la Perouse, arrived, but they were to late to claim the land. This ill-fated expedition stopped in the bay for several weeks in order to make repairs; when they once more sailed out into the South Pacific, they vanished! The mystery of their disappearance was part of maritime folklore for many years before it was finally solved. |
Sydney Cove and the Birth of the City
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The European history of the city began with the raising of the British flag near Circular Quay on the shores of Sydney Cove, on Saturday, January the 26th, 1788. Phillip had safely landed over 1,000 people with only a small loss of life on the voyage out – the Second Fleet was to lose almost 25% of their number. The convicts of the First Fleet comprised a mixture of highwaymen, forgers, prostitutes and miscellaneous petty thieves. Their descendants today take great pride in the fact that their ancestors helped found a new nation, but this is a fairly recent phenomenon, and as late as the 1970’s, many hid the convict roots of their family. People were transported to Australia for even the most inconsequential of petty larcenies, such as stealing a handkerchief, or a loaf of bread. Freedom and money meant that an ex convict could in theory return to mother England; very few, however, were ever made that journey. In spite of the harsh conditions, they survived the first few years and established a small settlement on the shores of Sydney Cove. Farming experiments were begun in the grounds now occupied by the Royal Botanic Gardens, on the shores of Farm Cove, and at places further west. Although the new settlement was to have been called Albion, Phillip decided that Sydney was a more suitable name, and he relayed this in his dispatches to the British Home Secretary, Lord Sydney. |
The Local Aborigines
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European settlement led to the local aborigine population, which estimates put at 3,000 persons, being totally dispossessed of their traditional land. Present day scientific dating techniques put the aboriginal use of the land in some parts of Australia as high as 40,000 years. British Law, however, determined that the continent was Terra Nullius, or empty, and this give the local people no rights whatsoever. Phillip made friends with one aborigine named Bennelong, and had a hut built for him at the end of Bennelong Point, which is the site of the Sydney Opera House. There is no evidence, however, that Bennelong ever used this hut as he preferred to live and cook in the open as his people had done for thousands of years. |
Captain Phillip’s Return to England
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Phillip was never really a very healthy man, and ill health forced his return to England on December the 11th, 1892. He never returned to the colony. In spite of his being the founding father of the new nation, it is sad to note that he died on August the 14th, 1814, an admiral, largely forgotten and ignored by the British establishment. His funeral was attended by only a handful of mourners. |
The Early Years of the Settlement
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During the first 25 years of settlement the colony in New South Wales proved to be extremely troublesome. The blame for some of this may have been laid at the feet of Phillip and other early Governors all of whom had to contend with the really troublesome force in the colony which was not the convicts but a corrupt military. The first two years of the settlement were fraught with problems and came close to disaster when food began running short. It was only the arrival of the Second Fleet that saved the colony from total disaster. In 1793 the first free settlers arrived, but many of the colony’s problems had yet to be addressed. Bank notes and coins were in short supply, and rum was the currency of the day. Crime and corruption were also rife in the military which controlled the population, and their control of the rum trade earned them the nickname of the "Rum Corps." Various attempts to stem the corruption in their ranks met with little success. So severe did the situation become that by 1809 something had to be done to curtail their activities. In that year they arrested Governor Bligh (famous from the Mutiny on the Bounty), and this was their greatest mistake. To resolve the situation the British government required a man of great character and resolution; that man was the Scot, Lachlan Macquarie. Macquarie quickly brought the Rum Corps to heel, but even he was forced from time to time to make deals with the rich and powerful men of the colony. Macquarie was a man of vision and he saw Sydney as a city of free men where people were given a second chance. He strove tirelessly to achieve this during his governorship. Even Macquarie though was hard put in his attempts to achieve reform, as he argued with the Church, the Military and the city’s powerful interests. On more than one occasion, he was to be tested by these vested interest groups, but the strength of this man’s character gained him their respect. Today many places around greater Sydney carry his name and the seat of New South Wales Government stands in Macquarie Street. |
The First Governors
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Captain Arthur Phillip The first Governor of New South Wales until the 10th of December, 1792. Captain
John Hunter - Captain Philip Gidley King
- Captain William Bligh - Major General Lachlan
Macquarie - All of these early governors were military men, and each had an impact on the colony, though none more so than Macquarie. The Officers of the Rum Corps arrested Bligh, famous from the Mutiny on the Bounty, in 1809, for claimed ‘incompetence’ when he threatened their rum monopoly and held him prisoner for a year. History, however, shows Bligh to be an extremely able leader of men and a very fitting man for the job of Governor of New South Wales. His main enemy in the colony was the pastoralist, and ex Rum Corp officer, John Macarthur, who is regarded as the father of the Australian wool industry. Macarthur spent the best part of a decade in London arguing with the authorities who saw him as a threat to stability here. His wife, Elizabeth, ran Elizabeth Farm and the Merino breeding program during his absence. The battle of wills between Bligh and Macarthur began shortly after Bligh impounded a liquor still, imported by Macarthur, from England. This was the first of many clashes between the two men. Although they conflicted again on several occasions, Macarthur’s influence within the New South Wales Corps proved too strong and it eventually led to the arrest of Governor Bligh. Bligh's arrest, however, marked the beginning of the end for the Rum Corps, which was recalled following Macquaries arrival. By the end of his governorship, 11 years later, the colony was well established and prosperous and there were moves afoot, in New South Wales, to end transportation. In later life, Macarthur was declared insane and spent his final years in an asylum; his state of mind at the time of Bligh's arrest is not known. |
Art |
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The
Art Gallery of
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Speciality:
Wide range of Australian, European, Asian and Aborigine
art and photographs Location: The Domain Get There by: Walk or Car. The gallery is a short distance from the city. Parking: Can be difficult. Parking at the nearby Domain Car Park. Facilities: The gallery has an excellent cafe and bookshop that sells prints and other works of art. Views etc. Excellent views across Woolloomooloo Bay. Mrs. Macquaries Point and the Botanic Gardens are nearby. Externally, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is rather an austere looking Victorian Building, but inside it has some very fine spaces for the display of painting, sculpture and performing artists. Admission to the gallery is free, and it is a very popular place with both Sydneysiders and tourists who come here is large numbers. The gallery has special blockbuster exhibitions from time to time, such as that for the British painter, Turner. An entry fee is charged for such special exhibitions. The gallery has one of the finest collections of aboriginal art in Australia. |
S. H. Ervin Gallery
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Speciality:
Early Colonial Period Location: The Rocks area Get There by: Walk or Car. The gallery is a short distance from Circular Quay Parking: Good Facilities: Good cafe Views etc. Excellent For anyone interested in the early years of European settlement, the S. H. Ervin Gallery and Museum is an important destination. The gallery is located behind the National Trust Building on Observatory Hill. There is parking here and there are good views of the Harbour, the Bridge and Balmain. |
Museums |
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The Powerhouse
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This is a Science and Technology museum that ranks as one of the finest in the world. An entry fee is charged but it's well worth the small charge made. Inside it's a very hands on place with early examples of everything from steam engines to rocket science. Children love this museum and it's a popular outing for many Sydney school's who regularly use its facilities. The best time to visit is early in the morning or after 2.30pm in the afternoon during the week. The main hall of the building has aircraft hanging from the steel beams of the roof. The aircraft on display include a W.W. II Catalina flying boat - not a model, the real thing! |
The Museum of Sydney
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This museum covers the Aborigine and European history of Sydney and is build over the ruins of the first Government House part of which are on display. An entry fee is charged. Because this building is managed by the Historic Houses Trust, you can buy a Ticket Through Time, on entry for about $15.00, which is valid for 3 months. This gives you access to other properties in the area managed by the trust including Elizabeth Bay House, the Mint Museum and Hyde Park Barracks all of which can be visited any number of times using your ticket. |
The Australian Museum
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This is one of the best natural history museums in the world and is the oldest museum in Australia. It records the natural and cultural heritage of the South Pacific. On display are items from as far away as Egypt and Hawaii and some of the display items are extremely rare. Australia's Mega Fauna is displayed in one of the many rooms of the building. The approach of the museum in recent years has been towards hands on displays where you can learn things about the displays for yourself. The museum is located in College Street on the east side of Hyde Park, which is about a five minute walk from Town Hall. |
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Bondi Beach, Sydney Australia, Sydney Opera House, A Sydney Visitors Guide, Information Centre, Botany Bay, Olympic Games, Harbour Bridge, Taronga Zoo, Captain Cook, The Rocks, Kings Cross, Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Festival, Heads, Observatory, Paddington. Glebe, Balmain, Mitchell Library, Hyde Park Barracks, Centrepoint, The Australian Museum, Wynyard Station, Macquarie Street, Lachlan Macquarie, Mrs Macquaries Point, Pinchgut, Fort Denison, Palm Beach, Whale Beach, Mona Vale, Bilgola, Warriewood, Narabeen, Collaroy, Manly, Tamarama Beach, Clovelly, Bronte, Coogee, Maroubra, Congwong Bay, Frenchmans Beach, Yarra Bay, Brighton Le Sands, Monterey, Ramsgate, Dolls Point, Cronulla, Ayers Rock, Aussie, Olympic Games, Marathon, Hyatt, Campbells Cove, Argyle Place, Visitors Centre, Royal National Parks, Botanic Gardens, Conservatorium of Music, ANZAC Memorial, Archibald Fountain, Australia Square Tower, Hawkesbury River, Jenolan Caves, Three Sisters, Katoombah, Redfern, Darling Harbour
