When did the British leave England and when did they ‘discover’ Australia
Captain James Cook set sail from England in 1768 and arrived in Botany Bay in 1770
What were the aims for Cook’s first Pacific Voyage
- The ‘Endeavour’ set sail on the 27th May 1768
- Establish an observatory at Tahiti in order to record the transit of Venus
- To record natural history
- To continue to search for ‘Terra Australia Incognita’, the unknown southern continent.
- He found Australia and New Zealand were separate lands and claimed them both for Britain
What did Captain Cook and Joseph Banks report back on Australia
It was fertile and empty
When was the British colonisation of Australia
In 1787, under King George III, the British Government sent a fleet to colonise Australia
Why did the British want an Australian Colony
- Urbanisation created poverty in the cities which led to more crime and the prison systems were overwhelmed
- The end of transportation of convicts to America following the American War of Independence contributed to the crisis in convict management
- Transportation was a more human option than the death penalty
Joseph Banks
- Travelled with Captain Cook to Australia in 1770
- Advocated for a British settlement in NSW
- Stated to the House of Commons that Australia was the most eligible for the reception of convicts
How many ships were in the first fleet
11
How many people (and convicts) were in the first fleet
-1420 people
- including 733 convicts
What were some crimes of convicts sent to Australia
- minor theft
- highway robbery
- robbery with violence
- forgery of documents
Why create a penal colony
- Loss of American colonies
- Increase in petty crime due to urbanisation
- Overcrowded prisons in England
- Desire to eradicate ‘criminal class’
- Rivalry with France
First Fleet & Initial Settlement 1788
- Majority of convicts were convicted of theft
- Captain Arthur Phillips led Fleet, became first Governor
- Initial settlement at Botany Bay was unsuccessful
- Convicts used to create settlement
- Sydney, Paramatta, Norfolk Island
- Second Fleet 1790 ensured survival
Governor Bligh & Rum Rebellion 1808
NSW Corp mutiny with John MacArthur
Lachlan Macquarie 1809-1821
- Ended power of the NSW Corp
- Positive approach to Emancipists
- Reduced alcohol consumption
- Enforced marriage
- Codified town planning: Macquarie towns
- New settlements had to have a church, court and school
- Development up Hawkesbury River
- Crossed Blue Mountains 1813
- Resigned following criticism in Bigge Report
Bigge Report 1822
- Requested by Lord Bathurst
- Criticised Macquarie’s Governorship
- Convict Labour should be used for sheep farming
- Removed land grants for Emancipists
- Recommended secondary site for punishments
When was the New South Wales Act
1823
Western Australia 1826-29
- Settled to prevent convict escape and deter French
- Captain James Stirling private investment for free settlers
- Swan River Company 1828
- Near failure, all food imported
Impact on Aboriginal People 1788-1829
- Western attitudes to race
- 300,000- 1M Aboriginal people present in 1788
- Captain Cook ‘Terra Nullis’ (Nobody’s Land)
- Initial violent clashes
- Smallpox: 50% population died in costal areas
- Ongoing frontier conflict
- Appin Massacre
Van Diemen’s Land 1803
- c.4,000 Aboriginal people
- Viruses and venereal disease
- Bushrangers
- Land clearance for sheep farming destroyed hunting grounds
- Settler violence
- Black War under Governor George Arthur
- Forced relocation
Van Diemen’s Land 1803
- Initially secondary settlement area
- Key whaling area
- Governor George Arthur established penal system for repeat offenders 1824 following Bigge Report
- Severe system of discipline and punishment
- Arthur oversaw forced relocation of Aboriginal people
When was Captain Arthur Phillip Governor of NSW
1788-1792
When was Captain William Bligh Governor of NSW
1806-1809
When was Major-General Lachlan Macquarie Governor of NSW
1809-1821
When was Sir George Arthur Governor of Van Diemen’s Land
1823-1837
Emancipist
Convict who had served their term
