The First Fleet was the fleet of sailing ships that brought the original settlers and convicts to Australia from England. Captain Arthur Phillip led the fleet out of Portsmouth, England on May 13, 1787, with eleven ships full of convicts to establish a penal colony in Australia. On January 26, 1788, they established the first European settlement on the continent at Sydney Cove (now SydneyThis is about the city of Sydney in Australia. For other meanings, see Sydney (disambiguation), or Sidney. Sydney Opera House Sydney is the capital city of the Australian state of New South Wales and Australia's largest and oldest city, founded in 1788.) in Port JacksonPort Jackson is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia, also known as Sydney Harbour and is the largest natural harbour in the world. Its best known features are the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. The harbour was discovered and named by L after Phillip decided that Botany BayBotany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, a few kilometers south of the central business district. It was the site of a landing by James Cook of the HMS Endeavour that marked the beginning of Great Britain's interest in, and eventual colo was not suitable for settlement due to a lack of fresh water. The first fleet consisted of the following ships:
H.M.S. SiriusHMS Sirius was built as the Berwick around 1780, and renamed six years later. She left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787 as the flagship of the First Fleet under Captain Arthur Phillip, arriving in Port Jackson on 26 January 1788. Sirius remained with the settlem
History of AustraliaHistory of Australia before 1901 Main article History of Australia before 1901 Australia has been inhabited for at least 50,000 years, since the remote ancestors of the current Australian Aboriginal people arrived from Southeast Asia. The land was not dis
