On January 25Th 1788, 11 Ships from England Arrived at Botany Bay in Australia

All for a loaf of bread

Sent to Australia

On January 25th 1788, eleven ships from England arrived at Botany Bay in Australia. The ships had sailed for eight months to get there. Their leader was Arthur Phillip and they were called ‘The First Fleet’.

There were 1100 people on board the ships, and most of them came to live in Australia forever. Many were convicts – people who had been punished for crimes in England by being sent or ‘transported’ to Australia.

Some of the convicts had committed serious crimes, but most of them had committed small crimes like stealing a loaf of bread. England had many convicts and their gaols were overcrowded. They transported the convicts to Australia to fix the problem of overcrowded gaols.

England also wanted to make a colony in Australia. A colony is when people from one country occupy another country. England wanted to grow food in Australia for themselves and they wanted wood from Australia to build ships. They thought resources from Australia might help them to stay rich and powerful. The young, male convicts were cheap workers.

The Journey

The long trip to Australia in crowded ships meant many convicts died on the way. There was little fresh food so other convicts became sick. The women convicts were kept apart from the men. When they finally got off the ships they were able to mix together. Some found their wives and husbands, and some married quickly in their new home.

When they arrived at their destination the new settlers from England were met by the people who already lived in Australia – the Aborigines of the Cadigal nation. At the time there were many other nations of Aboriginal people around Sydney, but the new people did not realise this.

The Arrival

On arrival Governor Arthur Phillip got everyone working quickly to build huts, homes and buildings. The first white settlers had brought everything with them that they thought they would need. They brought tools and nails, clothes and

Convict text tents, books and weaving equipment. They brought plants and seeds to grow lemons, oranges, bananas, coffee, cotton and cocoa as well as other useful trees. They brought seeds to grow barley, corn and wheat. They brought a bull, some cows, sheep, rabbits, chickens and turkeys. The settlers had enough food to last for two years: salted pork and salted beef, flour, rice and sugar. They had some butter and dried peas as well. Some of this food was cooked into a type of thick soup. They made the flour into bread like damper. They also had supplies ofrum and tobacco.

The English settlers cleared trees and planted seeds. Nothing grew. It was too hot at the time and the wrong time of year to grow plants from seeds. There was not enough food so once a week every person in the colony received this amount of food as a ration:

Rations

[The measurements were different in those times. A pound (lb) was about 500 grams. An ounce (oz) could measure liquid or fluid as well as solid foods. A pint (pt )was about 600 ml]

Type of food Amount in Approximate Approx pounds (lb), amount in amount per pints (pt), kilograms(kg), woman in kg, ounces (oz) grams(g), litres g, l per man (l) per man Salt Beef 7 lb 3.2 kg 2kg

Meat Or

Salt Pork 4 lb 1.8 kg 1.2 kg

Vegetable 7 lb 3.2 kilograms 1 kg

Flour 1lb 2.2 kg 1.5kg

Rice 1/2lb 500 g 1.7kg

Other Butter 6 oz 170 grams

Convict text A convict also got tea and sugar. If he or she had any money, they could buy rum and tobacco.

Running out of food

After a year, around 1789 things became bad and the convicts got less rations. To save their energy, people worked less and ate fish instead of salted meat. People ate rats, kangaroo, native grasses and fish when they could get them. But they were not confident about eating bush tucker, so missed out on some good food. The rations did not help people keep in good health. Many died and others were too unfit to work.

In 1790, the Second Fleet arrived with more convicts and marines, but also a stores ship with more food and equipment.

By 1811 each man in NSW was receiving a ration of 7 pounds of salt beef, 4 pounds of pork, 6 pounds of wheat and 15 pounds of corn.

It was a hard way to start a new country.

Convict text