Journey of the First Fleet

Students are learning to:

• use images and written sources to investigate the people on board the First Fleet  
• describe people, events and actions related to the First Fleet  
• understand the historical context of the journey and the broader impact on Aboriginal people 

The following information supports the above activities. Read the activities first. 

General information about the First Fleet

On 13 May 1787 a fleet of 11 ships set sail from Portsmouth, England under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip. This historic convoy, which later became known as the First Fleet, carried well over 1000 men, women and children to the other side of the globe. Almost half of those on board were convicts sentenced to transportation; the rest were officers, crew and marines and their families. 

The fleet consisted of two Royal Navy escort ships, HMS Sirius and HMS Supply, six convict transports, the Alexander, Charlotte, Friendship, Lady Penrhyn, Prince of Wales and the Scarborough, and three store ships, the Borrowdale, Fishburn and Golden Grove.  

From Portsmouth the First Fleet travelled via Tenerife and Rio de Janeiro to the Cape of Good Hope, the fleet’s last port of call before striking out for Terra Australis. 

The fleet arrived first in Botany Bay on 18 January. Despite a glowing recommendation from Sir Joseph Banks, it proved unsuitable for a permanent settlement, especially as it lacked a supply of fresh water.  

On 26 January, the fleet made anchorage at Warrane/Sydney Cove in Port Jackson. This site had everything needed for the new colony; deep water close to the shore, shelter and fresh water. Phillip named the bay Sydney Cove, after Lord Sydney the British Home Secretary. It was known as Warrane by the local Gadigal people. 

Activity 1 Information

Information on the drawing - Convicts embarking for Botany Bay, ca. 1790 by Thomas Rowlandson.

The drawing depicts an overcrowded small timber boat holding six convict passengers, and skipper leaning on the tiller. Two convicts are being pushed into the boat by a redcoat soldier whilst another redcoat looks on with rifle in slope position. Similar scenes can be made out in the far background, along with two corpses hanging from a gibbet.

On the back of the framed drawing is pasted some older printed material, which appears to be either a sale or catalogue description. The exact date of the printed material is unknown although it was after 1827. 

Activity 2 Information

William Bradley’s full drawing shows the First Fleet leaving England on 13 May 1787 accompanied by a twelfth ship, HMS Hyaena, that escorted the fleet for the first 200 miles.  Five of the Hyaena’s crew were ‘lent’ to the Fishburn at the start of the voyage, as some of the original crew were missing, and they decided to stay and go to Botany Bay.

Activity 3 Answers

Q: How could you eat this hard bread without breaking your teeth?

A: You could:

• Let the butter melt into them (if you had enough?)
• Dunk them in your drink (tea, coffee or beer – if you had any?)
• Pound them up into crumbs – to thicken a soup/gruel or use the crumbs like flour
• Suck on them – especially if you didn’t have many teeth! Remember there were no dentists!

Salted meat is meat preserved or cured with salt. Salt inhibits the growth of micro-organisms. First, salt was rubbed into the meat. The meat was soaked in brine (highly salted water) to remove the blood.  After taking it out of the brine, each layer of meat was packed in a barrel with lots of extra salt between each layer. This process was repeated several times. Finally, the barrel was filled with fresh brine and sealed. When it came time to eat, the meat would be rinsed in fresh water and boiled.

Activity 5 Information

More information on the First Fleet convict on board experience can be found in the Convict Women of the First Fleet Learning Activity. An option could be to complete this board game after students have completed both of these learning activities.