Exploring Kamay

Introduction

This resource explores the landscape of Kamay Botany Bay, as well as the technology discovered by the crew aboard the HMB Endeavour in 1770.

History, Geography

The learning sequences contain activities suitable for Year 9 and Year 10 students in support of the history and geography syllabuses. They are organised into three subject related areas:

• Landscape of Kamay – history and geography
• Canoes of Kamay – history and geography
• Mapping the Coast – geography.

Exploring

To 'explore' means to travel through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it. This was the mission of the HMB Endeavour: to explore, make observations, map and collect items from a range of locations.

Although the Endeavour journals tell us a lot about the people of Kamay, there were many aspects of the way in which the Gweagal took advantage of the natural resources of Kamay that could not have been fully appreciated by the journal-keepers over those eight days. We know now that the Aboriginal people across Australia had and continue to have a deep scientific knowledge and skill in their use and management of their environment.

Note to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – images of Aboriginal people who may now be deceased may be shown in this resource.

Endeavour

The sailing ship HMB Endeavour completed a voyage through the Pacific from England between 1768 and 1771. It was the first of three Pacific voyages led by James Cook. The aims of the first voyage were to observe the transit of the planet Venus across the Sun in 1769 and then to search for the 'southern land' that was thought to exist.

After journeying to Tahiti to observe the transit, then making an unsuccessful attempt to find the unknown southern continent before circumnavigating and charting (mapping) both islands of New Zealand, the Endeavour sailed across to the east coast of what we now call Australia, but in 1770 was referred to as New Holland. At the time, the east coast had not yet been mapped.

29 April 1770

On the morning of 29 April 1770 the Endeavour waited off the heads of a bay, later named Botany Bay. By mid-afternoon the Endeavour had entered the bay and had been anchored off the southern shore. We now refer to the bay as Kamay Botany Bay in honour of its name prior to the arrival of the Endeavour—Kamay.