Meeting at Kamay

Introduction

This resource explores the perspectives of the Aboriginal people of Kamay Botany Bay and the men aboard the HMB Endeavour upon their meeting in 1770. It aims to help students understand the history of Australia's Aboriginal peoples and why stories of the past are important to all of us.

English, history, geography, PDHPE

The learning sequences contain activities suitable for kindergarten, year 1 and year 2 students in support of the English, history, geography and PDHPE syllabuses. They are organised into three content related areas:

• Perspectives
• Landscapes
• Where to next?

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.