1788 - 1800

Celebrations and Commemorations (from this time)

Australia Day 26th January (also known as Invasion Day)

Many buildings, plaques, statues and artefacts in museums in The Rocks from this time, remind us of the important role convicts and free settlers played in our history.

Remembering historic places

A view of Sydney Cove, New South Wales by Edward Dayes 1804

Sydney Cove

Aboriginal people had lived in and around Sydney Cove for thousands of years and they called it Warrane. They called the land on one side of the Cove Tallawoladah. Today we also call this area The Rocks.

From the time of the first fleet in 1788, more English ships began arriving in Sydney Cove bringing more convicts and free settlers. For these new English arrivals, the environment of Sydney was strange and different to what they were used to in England. Summer days were long and hot, often followed by fierce thunderstorms and heavy rain. During the first year after arriving in Sydney, the settlement almost failed. Extreme heat and lack of rain caused many crops, necessary to feed the first settlers, to fail.

The Rocks / Tallawoladah

The Gadigal Aboriginal people had started to become used to the sight of new ships arriving and they would often be seen fishing around the edge of the harbour or out on the harbour in their canoes called Nawi's. Sydney began to grow into a small village around Circular Quay. At first the English lived in tents and simple huts made of sticks and mud, but over time they built more solid houses of sandstone. The convicts tended to live on the steep rocky side of Sydney Cove, while the free people and important government people lived on the other side.

View of Sydney New South Wales, in 1822 By Joseph Lycett

History Detective Questions 1

The convict records website allows you to search the British Convict transportation register for convicts transported to Australia between 1787-1867.

Information available includes name of convict, known aliases, place convicted, port of departure, date of departure, port of arrival, and the source of the data.

Research your surname to see if any of your family ancestors may have been convicts. If you find someone with the same surname as you. Where were they from? Why were they sentenced to transportation (what did they do)? How old were they?

Use the link below to search for convicts.

Convict Records

Remembering historic people

Portrait of Mary Reibey around 1835

Mary Reibey (1777 - 1855) arrived in Sydney 1792

Mary Reibey was a 13 year old girl from Lancashire, England when she was convicted of horse stealing. She was sentenced to be transported to NSW for seven years. She arrived in Sydney on the ship Royal Admiral in October 1792 and was assigned as a nursemaid in the household of Major Francis Grose, an important soldier. In 1794 she married Thomas Reibey, a young Irish businessman who worked for the East India Company. He was very successful, owning many businesses . When Thomas died in 1811, Mary was left with seven children and took control of his businesses. She was a smart business woman and a hard worker, and her businesses grow quickly. Soon she was one of the wealthiest women in Sydney, even helping start the Bank of NSW which today, we call Westpac Bank.

Did you know? When Mary was arrested, she was dressed as a boy and called herself James Burrow, but at her trial her identity was discovered.

Miniature oil painting of Lieutenant William Dawes, 1830s, artist unknown Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

Actors dressed in the NSW Marine Corp uniform. Source: NSW Corps of Marines Inc. @NSWCOM1788 Nonprofit Organization.

Lieutenant William Dawes (1762 - 1836) arrived in Sydney 1788

Lieutenant William Dawes was a very intelligent officer in the NSW Marine Corps (Red Coats). He was a Marine, scientist, astronomer, linguist (studied languages), engineer, botanist, surveyor, explorer and a government officer. He volunteered for service with the First Fleet to New South Wales.

Dawes was attached to the marines in the Sirius, the lead boat on the First Fleet. From March 1788 he was employed ashore by the government as an engineer and surveyor, and by early July had been discharged from the Sirius. He had already begun to build an observatory on what is now called Dawes Point (under the Harbour Bridge).

As an engineer and surveyor, he constructed batteries (a type of fort) on the hills overlooking Sydney Cove. The ruins of his battery are still there. He drew plans for the first government farm (the Botanic Gardens today) and the first streets and home sites in Sydney.

In December 1789, he was sent by the Governor on an expedition across the Nepean River to the Blue Mountains. William Dawes explored many areas between Sydney and the Blue Mountains. His training and skills in making maps were very valuable and opened up the way for other settlers to follow.

William was interested in scientific studies and in the Gadigal Aboriginal language and he became an expert Gadigal speaker. He mainly learnt Gadigal from a Gadigal girl called Patyegarang who often visited him in his hut. He also taught her English. He wrote the Gadigal language in his notebook, which is how we still know gadigal words today like Tallowaladah which is Gadigal for The Rocks.

Did you know? William Dawes refused Governor Phillip's order to capture and shoot Gadigal people as punishment for them spearing a settler. When he returned to England he became a leader in the movement to get rid of slavery in England.

History Detective Questions 2

Look at the page from william Dawes notebook.

What does Putuwa mean in Gadigal language?
Find out more about the Red Coat Marine Soldiers

Part of William Dawes' Notebook. Historians call this type of information a source.

William Dawes’ 1788 map of Sydney Cove

History Detective Questions

William Dawes created some of the first maps and plans of Sydney. These maps were made to show where things were now and where things would go in the future.

Create a simple map of your local area. Include you house and any important features of the area such as parks, shops, streets and roads.

William Dawes and Patyegarang

Click the video to learn more about Lieutenant William Dawes and Patyegarang

Page updated

Report abuse