The Expedition to Port Jackson Our passage to Port Jackson took up but few hours and those were spent far from unpleasantly. The evening was bright and the prospect before us such as might justify sanguine expectation. Having passed between the capes which form its entrance, we found ourselves in a port superior in extent and excellency to all we had seen before. We continued to run up the harbour about four miles in a westerly direction, enjoying the luxuriant prospect of Continue Reading »
Colonial Vessel ‘Francis’
By Anne Gibson Tuesday 14 February 1792 … The signal was made for a sail, and shortly after the ‘Pitt’ Captain Edward Manning, anchored in the cove from England …, She had on board Francis Grose Esq the Lieutenant-Governor of the settlements, and Major-Commandant of the New South Wales corps, one company of which, together with the adjutant and surgeon’s mate, came out with him. She bought out three hundred and nineteen male and forty-nine female convicts, five children, and seven Continue Reading »
Sullivan Bay to Port Dalrymple
Article written by member Geoffrey Humphries.Ref; ‘Narrative of a Voyage to Port Phillip and Van Diemen’s Land with Lieutenant Governor Collins.’ by AW Humphrey (1984) In late 1803 Lt. Governor David Collins decided to abandon the camp at Sullivan Bay (near present day Sorrento) and proceed to Van Diemen’s Land. Before leaving he dispatched a party under William Collins to explore and report back on the Port Dalrymple area of Northern Van Diemen’s Land. The only ship available Continue Reading »
1788 EARTHQUAKE, SYDNEY COVE
The shock of an earthquake on Sunday 22 June 1788 was mentioned by several diarists. The day was recorded as Clear with south-west winds. Temperature 54° David Blackburn, Master of HMS Supplyat 20 minutes after 4 in the afternoon, a shock of an earthquake was felt through the camp. The surgeon of ‘Supply’ and myself were then in the woods about a mile and a half from the camp & were both at the time standing still and silent examining some gum issuing from a large Continue Reading »
Unlocking the Mysteries of the First Fleet Marine Arrivals
By Glen Lambert. With all the family research carried out over the last hundred years or more one would expect there to be no major unknowns left regarding the arrival of the First Fleet at Botany Bay. You might be surprised to learn that to this day no clear record detailing the arrival vessels for the First Fleet Marines exists. For years researchers have tried to locate this information to no avail, and so a complete knowledge of the Marine arrivals has remained at an impasse. Permission Continue Reading »
John McCarty and Ann Beardsley
By Glen Lambert. The story of First Fleet Marine John McCarty and partner Ann Beardsley (aka Beazley) is one that to this day conceals many unknowns. Whilst we now their general story and general dates of events, there are many specifics that remain unknown. Many have tried to detail their lives, much of this poorly researched and overstated. Some have claimed John McCarty to be some type of super-soldier, serving on special assignments well into his 80's and being moved all over the colony Continue Reading »
The Wreck of ‘Sirius’ at Norfolk Island
By Anne Gibson. On the 19th March 2020 it will be 230 years since HMS Sirius, flagship of the First Fleet was ship-wrecked at Norfolk Island. Many of our descendants, who had embarked the ship at Sydney Cove and were previously landed on the island before the disaster, would have stood on the shore with their babies and scant belongings and watched the events unfolding. Read an exact from the Historical Journal of John Hunter, Captain HMS Sirius THE WRECK OF THE HMS SIRIUS AT NORFOLK Continue Reading »
Discovery of the Nepean River
From 6 June to 16 June 1789, John White, John Hunter and David Collins were amongst a large party that accompanied Governor Phillip on a second expedition to Broken Bay, in the course of which an extensive river was discovered. Phillip named it the Hawkesbury River. At the end of the month the same party traced the course of the river upstream to the present Richmond area. Watkin Tench, Captain of Marines, was unable to be part of either expeditions: At this period, I was Continue Reading »
George Bouchier Worgan
THE EMUThe curiosity of the camp was excited and gratified for a day or two by the sight of an emu, which was shot by the Governor’s game-killer. It was remarkable by every stem having two feathers proceeding from it. It’s height was 7 feet 2 inches, and the flesh was very well flavoured. David Collins, Extract from An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales According to Bowes and White, the emu was bought to the camp on 30 January 1788. The skin was given to Phillip Continue Reading »
Christmas in the New Colony
By Anne Gibson. Watkin Tench, First Fleet Marine, in his Account of the Settlement of Port Jackson, does not mention how the new settlers celebrated their first Christmas in the young colony. It is probably more correct to say the manner in which Christmas was observed rather than how Christmas was celebrated. Captain David Collins stated, Christmas-day (1788) was observed with proper ceremony. Mr Johnson preached a sermon adapted to the occasion, and the major part of the Continue Reading »