Book Summary 10–1788 The brutal history of the First Fleet (to come to Australia)
Key Insights
A lot of crime in the UK, — very common to steal
Journey overseas takes 9–12 months
Most common death — scurvy (lack of Vitamin C)
Sydney very unhospitable, bad land (apart from Bellevue and Paramatta)
1787
- Sirius starts voyage
7 years of exile for 160k convicts
11 boats, 1500 people
Privately run — goalers sold convicts to plantation owners
1 in 8 was living off crime in London — too many felons, overcrowded prisons and hulks
Botanic influence on choice of settlement
decision delayed for a long time hoping America comes back under British control
Arthur Phillip
Captain of first fleet
first governor of NSW
experienced farmer
Preparation for the voyage
- 1400 people (incl 750 convicts)
- 11 ships
- 9 months voyage
- convicts had to serve for 3 years upon arrival then become farmers
- a lot of fish hooks (and quite some tools)
- two jackets, one hat, three shirts, four stockings, three pairs of shoes, three trousers per convict
- allowed to take women from Pacific islands (without force)
- ships between 21–40 meters
- 3.5pints rum, 3kg bread, 2kg beef, 1kg pork / week
Convicts
- no care was give to the state of convicts and how much of their sentence they have served
- governor Phillipp wasn’t given list either so couldn’t figure out who did and who was lying
- avg age 27, youngest 9 years, 15 pregnant and gave birth
Portsmouth — departure
- took months to load ships
- left May 1787
- arrived January 1788
The Voyage
- almost small mutiny by convicts
- governor says to treat everyone well
- Tenerife 1 week as it took so long to put on fresh water
- all liquids (waste) drain to the bottom of boat resulting in super smell and toxic gases
- convicts locked at the bottom in darkness with bugs lice rats excrements
- poop deck but some just didn’t care
- 3 pints of water a day for 2 months (convicts 2 pints)
- bleeding to cure people, probably killed more than saved
- avg death 50% vitamin c lack (unknown then), 30% falling off, 10% fire shipwreck, 10% fighting
Leaving civilisation
England — Tenerife — Rio de Janeiro — Cape of Good Hope — Australia
Arrival
- aboriginals friendly and pointed to fresh water
- botany bay unliveable
- on the whole journey only 69 people died (the other fleets many more)
- chose port jackson instead and named Sydney Cove
- all ships anchored in AUSTRALIA DAY 26.01.1788
Struggle
- really big storms
- unknown bugs
- hard soil
- high temperature
- bad gumtree wood for houses
- fresh water and sheltered harbour
- torrential rain / floods — mud bath
- 18 months in first brick building governor’s house
- first brickworks Haymarket
- over first 2 years food rations for everyone at the end even officers
- huge stingrays
Friction in the settlement
- bad farming/ soil
- no food
- first observatory (observatory hill)
- convicts not even afraid of death and punishment
- only 25% of people helped, women useless
The fleet goes home
- tough journey + scurvy
Aboriginals
- hunters and gatherers
- friendly
- very crude structures
- avoided white men
- smallpox killed lots of Aboriginals
- white men kept stealing from them
- tried to have 2–3 aboriginals live with English kinda worked
- he lived in Bennelong point (his name was Bennelong) Opera House
Crisis
- food shortage
- poor soil and theft
- send one ship to cape of good hope for supplies (7 months)
- ran out of candles had to go to bed when dark
- english send full supply ship with food and skilled convicts, fruit trees — swam into iceberg
- tried to recover it for 10 days then abandoned by most (one one rowing ship survived)
- whoever stayed on board somehow stayed afloat for 2 months until a ship found them
- 20 skilled convicts and 5 overseers made it and were taken on second fleet
Waiting Game
- Serius sinks at Norfolk island
- Send hundreds to island which has better vegetation
- Cruel marine office becomes Governor on island
- second fleet arrives with food and convicts
Arrival of the second fleet
- 25% died on voyage
- hundreds in coming weeks
- first ship disappointment for 250 women convicts no provisions
- all convicts in terrible state
- owners paid per convict loaded not landed
- third fleet
- then guarantee that two fleets a year will come
Escape
- convicts tried to escape on leaving boats and bush, but it was pretty impossible
Departure of Phillip
- next up Melbourne/Hobart
- Paramatta best farming
- governers’ problem with disobedient military
- private farming most successful
