Map

Map First Fleet Route


This map states what route was taken by the first fleet and others to get to the Australian continent. It also shows of continents which are broken apart today also meaning that the route would be of a greater distance.

13 May 1787 : sailed from Portsmouth, England. There were eleven small ships in the First Fleet: two naval ships, six convict ships and three storeships for supplies.Captain Arthur Phillip was in charge of the fleet. On-board were about 1500 people: 722 convicts including 17 child convicts, the soldiers who were to guard them, soldiers' wives, sailors, and ship's officers.

3 June 1787 : arrived at Tenerife in the Canary Islands, stayed a week and took on supplies of fresh food

5 July 1787: crossed the Equator

7 August 1787: arrived at Rio de Janeiro, stayed for a month repairing sails, collecting plants and seeds to be grown in New South Wales.

13 October 1787: reached Table Bay (now CapeTown), Cape of Good Hope after surviving tremendous storms in the Atlantic Ocean. Stayed a month, and took on livestock (horses, sheep, goats).

25 December 1787: the Fleet was in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

 1 January 1788: Adventure Bay, Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania)

18 January 1788 : arrived at Botany Bay after sailing south of Van Diemen's Land, then north to New South Wales. It was decided that Botany Bay was not a suitable site for the settlement because water supply and soils were poor. The Fleet sailed on.

26 January 1788 : The members of the First Fleet went ashore at Port Jackson to start a settlement. Arthur Phillip named the place of landing Sydney Cove, after Lord Sydney, an official who had helped to organise th voyage.