First Fleet
On This Day
20 Jan 1788 - First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay
On 20 January 1788 the last of the eleven ships of the First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay
First Fleet Ships
Prince of Wales
Length: 31.3 metres (103 feet); width: 8.8 metres (29 feet); weight: 356 tonnes (350 tons)
First Fleet Ships
Ambition and adventure: the early life of Arthur Phillip
We looked back at the early life of Phillip, who had enjoyed an extraordinary career before he even set foot on a boat bound for Botany Bay
First Fleet Ships
John Hudson
Described as ‘sometimes a chimney sweeper’, John Hudson was the youngest known convict to sail with the First Fleet
First Fleet Ships
John ‘Black Caesar’
Convict John ‘Black’ Caesar became Australia’s first bushranger when he fled the settlement in December 1795 and led a gang of fellow escapees in the bush surrounding Port Jackson
First Fleet Ships
James Ruse
Ex-convict James Ruse became the first person in NSW to receive a land grant when Governor Phillip gave him 30 acres at Parramatta in April 1791
First Fleet Ships
Jacob Nagle
Twenty-five-year-old Able Seaman Jacob Nagle travelled to Australia on board HMS Sirius as a member of the ship’s crew
First Fleet Ships
Jane Scott and daughter Elizabeth
Around 32 marine wives and 24 of their children made the journey, including Jane Scott, the wife of Sergeant James Scott
First Fleet Ships
Mary Bryant
Mary Bryant was the first convict to successfully escape the colony of New South Wales and return to Britain