Year 4 History
The stories of the first fleets
Lesson 1
In this lesson we will be learning all about where the first fleet came from and what their journey looked like!
Success Criteria:
-
I can identify the origin of the first fleet to Australia
-
I can explain the reasoning for the first fleet to Australia
-
I can describe some of the challenges the passengers endured on the journey to Australia
Watch this for an overview of the First Fleet's journey
The First Fleet's journey began in Portsmouth in 1787. Convicts from multiple overcrowded jails throughout England were placed across 11 ships, gathering over 1000 people onto the fleet of ships who became the beginning of the white invasion and seizure of the land we know as Australia. The fleet was commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip who later became the first governor of the settlement in New South Whales.
The Journey Begins...
Portsmouth
Click Me!
Stop #1
The first stop on this voyage was in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands of Spain. The fleet remained here for about a week, stocking up on supplies of fresh water, vegetables and meat before continuing on their journey. Among the fleet of 11 ships, 3 of those were 'store' ships, storing all the things they needed for the journey and for the colonisation in Australia. The Store ships were called Golden Grove, Fishburn and Borrowdale.
Santa Cruz
Stop #2
The next stop was Rio De Janeiro, where the fleet remained for about a month. The fleet stocked up on a variety of seeds and plants for their settlement in Australia.
Rio De Janeiro
Cape Town
Stop #3
Cape Town of South Africa was the final stop in the first fleet's journey and the last opportunity to stock up on provisions before the last leg of the voyage. The fleet remained here for a month where they bought more plants for their new settlement.
Treatment of the convicts
Watch this!
Did you know...
First Fleet Journey
The convicts of the first fleet had to withstand the conditions of rough seas and crowded ship arrangements for the 252 days it took to get from Portsmouth, England to Sydney Cove, Australia.
First fleet convict survival rate
Despite the hard conditions, the ships were able to keep the ships clean and had the right supplies to keep the health up of the convicts. Leading to approximately 20-40 deaths of convicts out of over 1000 people all together aboard the fleet.
Crime punishment
At the time, more than 200 crimes were punishable by transportation - commonly a sentence of 7 years or exile. While some convicts were guilty of serious crimes, most were punished for nonviolent acts such as theft. There were 8 child convicts on the first fleet, mostly punished for theft.
IT'S TIME
Now that we have learnt all about the First Fleet's Journey and the conditions the convicts had to live through, it is time for the Time Machine Challenge!
Remember, if you don't answer the questions correctly... we don't collect all the parts of the time machine! Make sure you are ready!