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Prisoners
Between 1771 and 1784, the prisons of England were overcrowded. The British Government became worried about the possibility of prisoners rioting or escaping. -
Prisoners actions
To find a solution, the British Government looked for a colony where they could relocate the convicts. Sir Joseph Banks, who had joined James Cook on his voyage to Australia, suggested Botany Bay as a penal settlement. -
Settlement
In August 1786, the British Government decided to establish a convict settlement in New South Wales. -
First Fleet
The First Fleet Arthur Phillip was the person chosen to lead the First Fleet to Botany Bay and to rule the colony. Phillip found that the bay was shallow and ships were not protected from storms and strong winds, so he did not stop there. Phillip chose Port Jackson as the place to make a settlement. He chose that particular bay because it had good, fresh water and the ships could anchor close to the shore. He named it Sydney Cove in honour of Lord Sydney. -
Other events
Problems for the new colony Not long after his arrival at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788, Phillip began to encounter problems. British ways of meeting basic needs were at first unsuccessful in the Australian environment. The greatest problem for the new colonists was the food supply. The natural food sources of fish and kangaroos were not enough. The new colony relied mainly on the provisions of food from England as attempts to produce food themselves had been unsuccessful. -
the second fleet
The Second Fleet
The Second Fleet arrived in June 1790 to provide much-needed food supplies for the colony. This fleet, however, brought even more trouble and became known as the 'Death Fleet'. 267 convicts had died on the way and 480 were sick. The convicts from the second fleet were of no benefit to the new colony as most of them were too ill. The end of Phillip's government
In 1792, Arthur Phillip resigned.