First Contact

Recap of the first fleet’s journey. 13th May 1787 the First Fleet departed Portsmouth, England 3rd June 1787 arrival at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Here they took on supplies of food and fresh water. 7th August 1787 Arrival in Rio de Janerio. They stayed for a month to repair sails, collect plants and seeds to be grown in Botany Bay, NSW. 13th October 1787 arrived at Cape of Good Hope, after surviving tremendous storms in the Atlantic Ocean. Before leaving they took on livestock such as goats, horses and sheep. 1st January 1788 Arrival in Adventure Bay, Van Diemen’s Land (now called Tasmania) 18th January 1788 Arrived in Botany Bay. It was later decided by Captain Arthur Philip the land Botany Bay was not suitable for settlement due to the lack of water supply and poor soil. 26th January 1788 they arrived ashore at Port Jackson, Sydney NSW to start a new settlement. Captain Phillip named the place of landing Sydney Cove, after Lord Sydney, an official who helped organize the voyage.

First contact with local people Upon their arrive into into Botany Bay the local Cadigal people witnessed the arrival of the First Fleet, However it was not until the British moved onto a better settlement in Sydney Cove that they had made contact with the Aboriginal people of the land. The British came into contact with the Eora people and the Bijigal clan. The Eora people began to show signs of curiosity and suspicions towards the British. Governor Arthur Phillip ordered that the Aboriginal people be treated equally and well by the British, but it was not long before conflict was encountered between the two. The Aboriginal people did not understand or agree with the British practices of farming and land ownership; the British did not understand Aboriginal society and their relationship with the land.

First contact with local people Things got worse as the Eora people had speared and killed two convicts William Oakley and Samuel Davis, due to the killing of one of their own by a Marine Morty Lynch. A deadly epidemic of smallpox raged amongst the Eora with no natural resistance to this introduced disease which led them to be decimated. An estimation of 50% of the population died in months Bennelong one of the Aboriginal men of the Eora people were captured by the British soldiers and kept as a prisoner in the governor’s house. He then later escaped and re-joined his clan. Bennelong had good relations with Arthur Phillip, and while visiting he was speared by one of the Eora people. Concerned for his health, Bennelong decided to return to the settlement. In 1970, Arthur Phillip built Bennelong a hut on the edge of the harbor, now known as Bennelong point. (Which is the location of the Sydney Opera House)

Impact of colonisation on Indigenous Australians Disease: An introduction of new diseases was one of the most immediate consequence of colonization. These included smallpox, measles and influenza, which had spread and killed many Indigenous communities. Governor Phillip had reported that smallpox had killed half of the Indigenous people in the Sydney region within 14 months of the arrival of the First Fleet.

Impact of colonisation on Indigenous Australians Dispossession: (the action of depriving someone of land, property or other possessions) The British settlers believed that because Indigenous people lived a nomadic (moving from place to place) lifestyle, they could be driven away easily from their land. The Europeans too all of their fertile areas of Australia and gave it to white settlers to farm. Many of the Indigenous people were killed over the violent clashes over the rights to settle on the land. Lives were also lost due to the accessibility of fresh water and food.

Impact of colonisation on Indigenous Australians Conflict: (A disagreement or argument) There were many conflicts between the Indigenous Australians and British settlers, it got to a point where it was frequent and violent at times. Both felt like they were fighting for their survival, resources and land. Many lives were lost due to conflict. The Indigenous peoples had used spears against the settlers’ superior firepower.

Cadigal – also spelled as Gadigal and Caddiegal, are a group of Indigenous Australians whose traditional lands are located in Sydney, NSW. The Gadigal are a clan of the Eora Nation. Eora (Eora People) – this was the name given to the costal Aboriginal peoples around Sydney. ‘Eora’ means ‘here’ or ‘from this place’ Epidemic – A widespread of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time. Decimate – to kill, destroy or remove a large percentage or part of. Colonisation – the action or process of settling among and establishing control over the Indigenous people of an area.

Create brainstorm/poster Display Your task now is to create a brainstorm/poster display in your HASS workbook. You are to choose one of the following Impacts: Disease Dispossession Conflict Brainstorm all the ideas and information you know or search about the impacts these had on Indigenous Australians.