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26 January - Australia Day

© Joanna Skinner

Australia celebrates its national day on 26 January, the date of the landing of the first white settlers at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788.

The European settlement of Australia started because of the overcrowding of British prisons. Transportation to the American colonies had stopped because of the War of Independence. The overflow from the jails were housed in old shipping hulks in the harbour and these were soon filled to capacity. Something had to be done.

African colonies were considered as places of transportation of convicts, but rejected.

It was decided to send a fleet of ships containing convicts, to Botany Bay under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, who was to be the first Governor of the colony of New South Wales. The colony covered what are now the states of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory. On the mainland of Australia only what is now Western Australia was excluded.

Botany Bay was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1770 in his exploration of the east coast of Australia. He thought it was a very suitable place for a settlement.

The First Fleet of eight ships, the Sirius, the Supply, the Alexander, the Charlotte, the Scarborough, the Friendship, the Prince of Wales, and the Lady Penrhyn together with the three storeships left Portsmouth harbour on 13 May 1787. These ships were filled with six hundred male and one hundred and eighty female convicts plus soldiers and others.

After a journey of eight months they arrived at Botany Bay on the 20 January 1788, and found it was not at all as described by Captain Cook with beautiful grassy meadows and totally unsuitable for the new settlement as the soil was mostly sand.

Captain Phillip accompanied by other officers sailed north looking for a more suitable place to land and settle, they soon discovered what is known today as Sydney Harbour, Port Jackson. While exploring the coves in the habour they found one with a good spring of fresh water decided to settle there. Captain Phillip named it Sydney Cove for Lord Sydney who had chosen Captain Phillip for position of Governor of the new colony and send the First Fleet on its way.

On the morning of 26 January 1788 the fleet arrived in Sydney Cove and the British flag was raised on the shore.

So, now Australians celebrate their national day on this date.

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