The Journey

JUNE 1787 : TENERIFFE

The first port of call was to be the town of Santa Cruz on Teneriffe in the Canary Islands, there to take on fresh water and vegetables. The fleet arrived at Teneriffe on 3 June 1787, three weeks after leaving England.
One of Phillip's officers, Marine Captain Watkin Tench recorded:
"During our short stay we had every day some fresh proof of his Excellency's esteem and attention, and had the honour of dining with him, in a style of equal elegance and splendor".
It took eight weeks for the Fleet to cross the Atlantic, from the Canary Islands to the South American coast. This seemingly circuitous crossing was to take maximum advantage of the prevailing winds. The Fleet Commander, Captain Arthur Phillip explained in his official account:
"Stormy seas were succeeded by warm weather and favourable winds. Land was sighted on 2 August 1787, and by 6 August the even ships in the Fleet were anchored in the harbour at Rio de Janeiro".
The eleven ships of the fleet sailed from Rio de Janeiro on 5 September 1787. Ahead was their third and final civilised port of call en route. It took more than five weeks for the fleet to complete the crossing from Rio to the Cape. Land was sighted early on the morning of 13 October, and by dark all eleven ships were anchored in Table Bay.
Whilst in port, provisions were loaded. Corn was in short supply, but cattle and other supplies were found to be plentiful. Even the convicts enjoyed the luxury of fresh meat and vegetables. On 12 November 1787 the Fleet set sail once more. Ahead was Botany Bay, visited previously only by Cook and the crew of the Endeavour'.
The voyage from Cape Town to Botany Bay took about eight weeks. It was an uncomfortable passage as the ship

AUGUST 1787 : RIO de JANEIRO

OCTOBER 1787 : CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

JANUARY 1788: ARRIVAL

Indigenous Tribe That Lived in The Tweed Area

Aboriginal people are believed to have been present within the Tweed Valley for at least 6000 years. Ceremonial bora rings are special places for Aboriginal people, and the ring on the Tweed Heads Historic Site is very significant to the local Goori people. Bora rings are usually found on large cleared areas where the surface has been levelled and stones have been placed to form a ring. The largest rings can be up to 22 m across.
The Aboriginal cultural centre and museum on the site is run by the local Minjungbal Trading Company. The cultural centre has become a popular meeting place for both Goori people and the wider Aboriginal community. Tweed Heads Historic Site provides an insight into the culture of the local Aboriginal people and a glimpse of the once extensive natural forests and mangroves that provided their food supply. The adjacent Ukerabagh Passage and Ukerabagh Island Nature Reserve are also of continuing importance to the local Goori people.
The land and waterways, and the plants and animals that live in them, feature in all facets of Aboriginal culture - including recreational, ceremonial, spiritual and as a main source of food and medicine. They are associated with dreaming stories and cultural learning that is still passed on today. We work with local Aboriginal communities to protect this rich heritage.
To find out more about Aboriginal heritage in the park, you can get in touch with the local Aboriginal community. Contact the park office for more details.

Countries Colonised by the British

US
Canada
Australia
New ZealandBurma
South Africa
Many other African nations
Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia)
Parts of the Middle East
Some Carribean Islands (Bermuda, Cayman Islands)

Aboriginal Tribes and Languages

Australian Aboriginal culture is one of the oldest and longest surviving cultures, that has dated back to at least 40,000 years. Some say it may date back as far as 65,000 years ago.


Language

There has existed over 250 Aboriginal languages in Australia with many dialects spoken. It is a very diverse language! Recently a map showing the geographical region of each different language within Australia was created by David Horton and is based on language data gathered by Aboriginal Studies Press, AIATSIS and Auslig/Sinclair, Knight, Merz, (1996).

Aboriginal English	Jagera/Yuragubul	Narrungga	Warlpiri
Anjumarla	Jaru	Ndjébbana	Wangkatha
Arabana	Jingulu	Ngadjon	Wardaman
Arrernte	Jiwarli	Ngalakan	Warlmanpa
Awabakal	Kala Lagaw Ya	Ngarrindjeri	Warrungu
Ayapathu	Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay	Noongar	Warumungu
Bardi	Kaurna	Ngiyampaa	Wemba
Bunganditj	Kayardild	Nhirrpi	Wiradjuri
Bunuba	Koko-Bera	Nyangumarta	Yaegl
Dalabon	Kriol, pidgins	Paakantyi	Yandrruwandha
Darug	Kuku Yalanji	Pakanh	Yanyuwa
Dyirbal	Kukatja	Palawa Kani	Yindjibarndi
Ganai/Kurnai	Kutthung	Pitjantjatjara	Yolngu
Garawa	Malyangapa	Pitta Pitta	Yorta Yorta
Gooniyandi	Marriammu	Tiwi	Yugambeh
Gumbaynggir	Martuthunira	Tjapukai	Yukulta
Gunggari	Mawng	Oykangand	Yuwaalaraay
Gurindji	Meriam Mir	Wagiman
Guugu Yimithirr	Murrinh-Patha	Wambaya

·       The aborigines lives are distinctly related to the land and being one with the environment. The land is not just the physical rocks, trees, and rivers but rather the land is part of the people spiritually and must be used in harmony and sustainably. The land has its own stories of creation. They were semi-nomadic people living in large groups within their own territories, often referred to as ‘traditional lands’. These lands were defined by the surrounding environmental boundaries, such as rivers or mountains.

Here is a video that will tell you more about the first fleet.
Hope you  Enjoy.

First Fleet

After the initial transfer to the Scarborough, Andrew Goodwin and his fellow convicts spent a further three months below decks in irons because of delays in embarkation. Letitia Munro was transferred to the Prince of Wales. The fleet“…did not leave Portsmouth until 13 May 1787, and even then it was so hastily got together that, despite Phillip’s care, some important items – for example, clothing for the women convicts – were left behind.”2As the ships made their way out it must have been a relief to those chained below that they were finally underway, and yet they must have also experienced the anxiety associated with their effective exile from nearly everything they had ever known. They were left with the military discipline of their gaolers, what we now know of as the penal system. Andrew and Lydia had the ability to survive this whole new society based on law, and lawlessness, and contribute to the seeding of Australia.They were going to a location essentially on the other side of the earth, an unknown landscape. For Andrew his world consisted of theScarborough, the second largest of the first fleet ships at 111 feet (35 metres) long and 30 feet (10 metres) wide. She weighed 430 tons, and was built 5 years earlier in 1782 as a two-decked three masted vessel. Re-rigged as a barque, she made the trip to Australia twice as a prison ship. On her first trip she carried 208 convicts.3Letitia's transport, the Prince of Wales, was a three masted two decker brig about 31 metres long. Along with the Lady Penrhyn she was one of the newest vessels in the fleet.4