Between 1788 and 1868, around 162,000 convicts were sent to Botany Bay, Australia, as part of the British penal system. The first convict convoy, known as The First Fleet, arrived in Sydney, Australia, with Captain James Cook leading the ship HMS. Botany Bay was not only a place of detention for those awaiting trial but also a holding pen for those awaiting execution.
After losing its American colonies, Britain had an urgent problem to find a place to send its convicts. Captain Arthur Phillip was appointed Commodore of the fleet, which was to transport convicts and soldiers to establish a colony at Botany Bay. On May 13, 1787, the “First Fleet” set sail from Portsmouth, England, to found the first European colony in Australia, Botany Bay.
Botany Bay was intended to be a penal colony, with convicts from Great Britain and Ireland being sent as transportees. The site at New South Wales was officially recognized as an English penal colony from 1788 to 1823. The British penal system transported about 162,000 convicts from Great Britain and Ireland to various penal colonies in Australia.
Botany Bay is an open oceanic embayment located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Prisoners were shipped as laborers to build the colony, and the first fleet that landed in Botany Bay brought everything expected from a first-class prison.
Newgate Prison, which closed in 1902 and was demolished in 1904, is now home to the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey). Although Australia’s first penal colony was often called Botany Bay, its actual site was at Sydney on Port Jackson.
📹 The Penal colony at Botany Bay with voiceover
The event in question is the journey of the First Fleet, which set sail from Portsmouth, England in May 1787, with the purpose of …
Why didn t they stay in Botany Bay?
Governor Arthur Phillip arrived in Botany Bay on 18 January 1788, and the Lady Penrhyn arrived two days later with the second part of the fleet. However, none of the convicts left the ship due to poor soil and limited fresh water. Governor Phillip decided to find a suitable place to settle, which he named Sydney Cove after an English official. On 26 January 1788, the First Fleet, including the Lady Penrhyn, entered Port Jackson.
Two paintings, one by William Bradley, depict the fleet’s arrival through the heads of Port Jackson and the other by another 1788 artist, showcasing the natural environment. These paintings provided a unique view of the area, which was unfamiliar to everyone on board the ships. To learn how to reuse this content, please check the copyright status in the catalogue record.
Was Botany Bay a penal colony?
The First Fleet, a group of British prisoners, aimed to establish a penal colony at Botany Bay. The settlement was intended to be a penal colony, with convicts from various countries, including British, American, French, and African. Most convicts were sentenced to seven years’ “transportation”. The fleet departed from Portsmouth and briefly docked in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. They then crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they received supplies, and then back to Cape Town, South Africa, where they received more food and livestock.
The main journey was 24, 000 kilometers, from Cape Town to Botany Bay. Despite the harsh conditions, the First Fleet discovered a beautiful harbor near Botany Bay, named after the British Home Secretary, Lord Sydney. The discovery is celebrated as Australia Day.
How long did Captain Cook stay in Botany Bay?
In 1770, the HMB Endeavour, led by Lieutenant James Cook, landed at Botany Bay’s Inscription Point, a site that significantly impacted Australian history. The reserve, now nationally heritage-listed, interprets the story of the meeting of European and Aboriginal cultures. In 2020, three bronze sculptures, named The Eyes of the Land and the Sea, Nuwi/Canoes, and The Whales, were installed as part of the 250th anniversary of the encounter.
Visitors can explore Kamay Botany Bay National Park, which features a Burrawang walk with Aboriginal songs and stories, and a plaque marking the landing site near Silver Beach on the Kurnell Peninsula headland.
What is a fun fact about Botany Bay?
Captain James Cook’s first landing in Australia in 1770 was at Stingray Harbour, which was later renamed after the variety of new plants found there. Captain Arthur Phillip planned to establish a convict settlement but found the bay unsuitable for habitation and moved the colony to Port Jackson (later Sydney). Jean La Perouse, a French mariner, explored the bay in the same year. The bay’s shores are now surrounded by Sydney suburbs, including Sydney Airport, an oil refinery, Bunnerong power station, and several national nature reserves. Port Botany has been dredged and made safer for ships using a breakwater, and it is primarily used by container ships.
Where is Captain Cook’s wife buried?
Elizabeth Cook, a prominent Victorian woman, died at the age of 93 in 1835, outliving her husband and children. She was buried in St Andrew the Great Church, Cambridge, with her sons, James and Hugh. Cook left a bequest to support five poor aged women and maintain the family’s monument. The ‘Charity of Mrs Elizabeth Cook’ was registered until May 2021 when assets were transferred to the parochial church council.
Cook had no known direct descendants, and all her children died without issue. A portrait in oils is in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, with an inscription stating “Mrs Elizth Cook. Aged 81 years. W. Henderson. Pinxt. 1830”.
What is the history of Botany Bay?
Botany Bay, located in Australia, has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Tharawal and Eora peoples and their associated clans. In 1770, James Cook’s first landing of HMS Endeavour on the land mass of Australia took place in Botany Bay. The British later planned to establish a penal colony in the area, leading to the first European habitation of Australia at Sydney Cove. Archaeological evidence from the shores of Botany Bay suggests an Aboriginal settlement dating back 5, 000 years.
The Aboriginal people of Sydney comprised 28 known clans, with the Gweagal occupying the south shore and the Gameygal on the north shore. The Bidjigal clan may have lived between the Cooks River and the Georges River, but evidence for this is unclear. Botany Bay is named Kamay in the Dharawal language.
Why was Botany Bay chosen for settlement?
Sir George Young, a naval officer and former East India Company officer, argued that Botany Bay could serve as a base for trade with South America and provide a refuge for British naval vessels in case of war with Spain. John Call, an engineer with the East India Company, also saw the advantages of a secondary settlement on nearby Norfolk Island, as flax grew abundantly there and the Norfolk pine tree was ideal for ship masts. These observations were based on Cook’s second and third Pacific voyages, which included visits to Norfolk Island and fur trade in China.
What happened at Botany Bay in 1788?
On January 20, 1788, the final eleven vessels of the First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay. There, Captain Arthur Phillip identified a more suitable location for Port Jackson. The remaining vessels of the fleet subsequently entered Sydney Harbour on 26 January, having been named in honour of Lord Sydney, the British Home Secretary.
What did Botany Bay used to be?
Botany Bay, located on the outskirts of Chorley, was a significant transportation hub during the Industrial Revolution and was home to several mills. The earliest settlements date back to 1734, and it was not until the late 18th century that Knowley began to develop further, making it the main port for the Chorley area. During the construction of the Lancaster Canal, Botany Bay played host to canal workers, and the name Botany Bay originated from this.
By 1816, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal had incorporated the Lancaster Canal, making Botany Bay an important loading and unloading area due to its warehouse system and proximity to the canal. As early as 1830, services ran from Botany Bay wharf to Manchester, Wigan, and Liverpool, contributing to Botany Bay’s importance in the cotton trade and increasing communication in the local area.
How many prisoners were sent to Botany Bay?
The colonization of Australia led to mass fatalities, not only among the indigenous inhabitants dying from disease and violence brought by Britain but also among the convict populations being transferred to Botany Bay and other colonies. Between 1788 and 1850, over 160, 000 convicts were sent to Botany Bay, with the majority being retired slave ships. These convicts faced horrible conditions and raging disease, with few resources and water.
Thomas Milburn, a convict being transported during the late 1700s, wrote about being chained together and confined in the hold during their long voyage. The neglect of food and hygiene caused these men to make unthinkable decisions to survive.
Conditions improved after 1811 when William Redfern, a doctor and convict, encouraged cleanliness, exercise, and proper ventilation, reducing fatalities from 1 in 31 to 1 in 122. However, transport continued until it was abolished in 1868, a mere 150 years ago. The horrors of colonization brought not only to the indigenous populations of Australia but also to the criminals sent there during the Victorian era, leaving a dark age in history.
What has happened to Botany Bay?
The well-known shopping and leisure destination, which ceased operations in 2019, has been the subject of numerous proposals, including those for residential development and an outlet village.
📹 How Exactly Did Australia Become a Penal Colony?
Providing a brief history of Australia is hardly possible, especially when you consider the nation’s long and fraught history with …
Their definition of ‘criminal’ was a bit suspect in the first place. For example, people who had won a coat in a poker game were convicted solely because they had been accused of theft (most probably by the person who had lost it). Other convictions were pretty harsh too – like stealing an apple! You forgot to mention that during the course of their sentences, people laboured very hard to build the roads etc.
Stopped by to see how much you would stuff up our history but mate, you did yourself proud. Only extra comment I could make is that our convicts came from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Cheers, that was enjoyable to watch 🙂 Edited to add: The unexpected outcome of convict transportation was that the descendants of convicts grew taller, stronger and healthier than those who came before them and those left behind in their native countries. BONUS!!
I love your website – but have one side note re this article. As an Indigenous Australian, would’ve been good if you expanded a little further to HOW England actually declared Australia a British Colony through “Terra Nullius”, I find that another interesting part of Australian history as it’s actually invalid. Terra Nullius translates to “No Mans Land” in Latin, yet Aboriginals have lived & practiced culture here for over 70, 000yrs. #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe
Thank you! U listen to me request mate Ta! Love from Straya mate, & u say Straya right!!! Also, this is a true story, that when the public back in Pommyland found out how good the convicts had it in our Great Southern Land they then committed crimes deliberately to be transported to Sydney, talk about finding a literal paradise
A little while back before Covid hit I was looking at going to Autralia for a bit of a visit, so I got to the airport and the customs officer asked me if I had a criminal record. I was totally taken aback by this comment and replied with “I didn’t think you needed one to get into Australia anymore.” 🤔 Jk Aussies, love from the great white north 😂🇨🇦
Small Error. Tasmania become a colony in 1826 IIRC and was the first “state” to break away from New South Wales. The First Euro Settlement on the island was in Risdon/Sullivans Cove in 1804(Hobart). It was known as Van Diemons Land. Van Diemons Land changed its name to Tasmania in 1856, as that old name was too closely linked to convicts and transportation, of which VDL had received the most.
Funny story from the first settlers is that word got around that behind the mountains lay China and many convicts lost their lives when they escaped to ” China “. Some convicts were sent there as a way to dispose of them. When the colony had reached 200 families the first Gazette began to circulate, but there was no news to write about so the top stories were just small events that occurred throughout the neighbourhood. One of the headlines was Pig bites baby. I happen to live in an area that was settled in 1789 by runaway convicts who refused to go back to the colony and eventually Governor King gave some of them land grants in 1805 when they successfully grew corn and planted fruit trees.
Gold was first discovered in New South Wales, not Victoria as this implies. The first gold rush was in a town called Ophir which is now mostly non existent. Also, Aussies are proud of their convict ancestry… so us Novocastrians (people from Newcastle) are like “well I’m from the baddest of the bad, how Aussie is that?” Newy represent!
The weirdest thing about the British moving to Australia was that they laid claim to owning it because of Terra Nullius (no body owned it) and somehow ignored 60,000 years of Aboriginal occupation. Even weirder still is that this is still yet to be acknowledged by any Australian government. 😂 It’s shameful and even weirder again that although most Australians support indigenous rights, nothing has been done about it since a 2008 apology for 150 years of stealing their children.
just a quick note re settlement. The english were not the first to settle Australia. Its not a well known fact that the Dutch actually had a functioning settlement before any englishmen viewed our Terra Australis otherwise known as the “Great Southern Land,(thanks Icehouse)! i remember having to watch the movie featured, “For the term of his natural life”, about a convict who tries to escape imprisonment named Rufus Dawes, for my Australian Studies class at Brunswick High in Victoria in the 90s. If anyone is interested in this subject, i highly recommend the above movie . I”ve rewatched it a coupla times and find it to be a quality production!!! “Can you hear, can you hear the thunder, You better run, you better take cover”….yeeeahhhh respect
Chekov should not have been the one to recognize the Botany Bay and Khan, since he was not assigned to the Enterprise when Kirk encountered Botany Bay. It is possible that Chekov familiarized himself with the missions of the Enterprise before he assigned as a helmsman, but then Khan himself specifically stated that he recognized Chekov’s face.
Australia was first discovered by Dirk Hartog in 1616 as evidenced by an engraved pewter plate discovered on an island west of Western Australia that bares his name. It was then rediscovered by William Dampier who was a British Privateer (Crown sanctioned Pirate) in 1699. As they say, 3rd times a charm and Captain Cook historically gets the credit for it.
In Summary What Non – Australians fail to realize is that Great Britain couldn’t continue to send Convicts to the 13 North American Colonies – so sent them to 3 of the 6 colonies in Australia – New South Wales, Tasmania & Queensland – also eventually to Western Australia for Public Works (funded by the Imperial Office).
It’s amusing when people try to insult us by calling us convicts, and usually by people who don’t realise that their own country received convicts as well. It would actually be more accurate to call us miners, since the amount of people that immigrated for gold massively outnumbered the amount of convicts that were sent here. I have several gold miners in my family tree but no convicts.
@ 7:44 you’ve confused the establishment of self-governance as being the date of settlement, eg. Tasmania was first settled in 1804 by the people from Sullivan Bay, which was abandoned; Victoria in 1834-35 by free settlers, and Queensland began as a penal colony in 1824. It’s remarkable that these rudimentary settlements could become self-governing colonies in such a short space of time.
The Dutch were the first european explorers who found Australia in the early 1600’s. However they didn’t settle there because they found that the North -and Northwestern coast was too uninhabitable. Imagine how different Australia’s history could’ve been if the Dutch claimed Australia. Perhaps they could’ve even won the emu war?
My Australian school never taught me why the British sent their prisoners or how they where treated just that captain cook had done ships and dropped off some prisoners. This is why I know more about Europe and American history than my own. Didn’t even know we weren’t an independent nation until the 31
Major correction here, and typical of an American: “England” is one of four countries that make up the United Kingdom, which consists of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, created in 1707 – 80 years before the First Fleet sailed from London. Not all people who were transported to New South Wales came from England. What is NSW today was NOT New South Wales entirely upon creation of this once British Colony, with only about half the country being “New South Wales.” Most of the country as we know it today was undiscovered until explored by Free Settlers many years later.
People associated with British aristocracy sent disgraced members, with money and a few possessions, to Norfolk Island, belonging to Australia, to live out the remainder of their lives. British soldiers, farmers and free convicts massacred the Aborigines. These native peoples were declared to be animals until the 1950s. At present there is still no official representative in the Australian parliament.
Before it became self sufficient supplies to keep the colony going came from British India as it was less expensive than coming from Britain. In Britain many magistrates saw it as their job and patriotic duty to make sure there were enough convicts for colonial expansion. Many innocents and minor offenders found themselves being transported to Australia. These were called kangaroo courts. At the Australian National museum they list some obscure crimes in the records that resulted in transport. One being ( impersonating an Egyptian ) There is no explanation as to what this actually meant at the time. Some convicts arrived from the West Indies and white convicts from India. In 1840 convicts were transported from the British colony of Canada for taking part in the rebellions against the British crown. 82 were American patriots, who had crossed the border, 58 were French prisoners from Lower Canada and 5 civil convicts.
Poor research. South Australia and the Northern Territory were not started as penal colonies. South Australia was actually started as business. People bought their land in England or Germany and sailed with their documentation and coordinates and set up farms. WA prisoners were emancipated at the docks upon agreement to work the land for food Basically only some of the East Coast settlements were penal colonies. Also the term “Australia” was not coined till 1802, 32 years after Cook, 14 years after Philips landing at Botany Bay / Pt Jackson by Mathew Flinders after having completed the first mapping of Australia in it’s entirety.
Transportation of the Irish was constant. Every broken minor law, debt & eviction was subject to Transportation. Rebellion usually resulted in hanging but the families were transported. Die, send them away or make them go away. British Imperial Policy in 1800s. It never stopped until the 20th century and independence
Convicts were just a form of slavery. In 1790 my Great (x2) Grandfather was a cotton mill engineer in Manchester UK and took a piece of rag home, he got 14 years hard labour in Australia as punishment, building roads across N.S.W. He never saw his wife and kids in the UK again. But he built the foundation of the country and city I call home. 🇦🇺
Crazy how the British created one of their largest most profitable colonies that far from anyone out in the middle of nowhere on a giant island continent and using prisoners…its crazy how succesful Australia became and I guess it’s because it was so much free Land with few aborigines compared to native Americans in North or south America
Actually, Australia didn’t become fully independent under the Statute of Westminster until the passage of the Australia Act 1986 which finally removed the British Parliament’s power ri legislate for Australia in certain areas. Oh, and BTW, at the time of Australia becoming a penal colony, there was no ‘English government’ it had been the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain since the Act of Union 1707.
This presentation makes the structure of Australia sound similar to the US. However, our constitution, which was actually an act of the British parliament, vests a whole bunch of powers in the federal government, with certain powers then delegated to the states. This goes in the opposite direction to the delegation powers in the US, in that all “residual” powers — those not specified in the Constitution as belonging to the states, remain with the feds. With powers filtering down from the top, rather than coming up from the grassroots, there is far less fragmentation. Just seven police forces in the whole country, and a centralised and totally independent Australian Electoral Commission running all elections, are just two of the most stark differences.
Well, a few unique things I have learned is the the US colony of Georgia was chartered as a prison colony, the the man who gained that charter was along the reform idea rather than the punish idea. If I may add that the current tattooing many inmates follow also derived from the English method of identifying criminals in the colonies as in the Americas they would brand the criminal offense on their right hand between the thumb and index finger, so when you shook the persons hand you could see their past mischief. Another thing that I learned, and found surprising, was that all prisoners on the home islands that were due to be executed were offered that that would be set aside if they would travel to the colonies, but over 90% of them chose the hangman’s noose.
I watched this on the plane back from Tasmania, where my 7x great grandfather was transported for stealing a sheep. He was housed at Port Arthur, and I believe he was on the Maitland, which stopped at Norfolk Island on the way. He did his time, returned to England, then came back as a free settler with his two brothers in 1837. They became quite wealthy. Tas was well settled by then, as there are quite a few graves in a town called Ross from 1835-1838. Its funny how, in a palace like Tas, something that happened 7 generations ago still feels so close to home. I feel sad for the brutality that shaped the start of our country, but I am incredibly proud to be an Australian.