In January 1788, the First Fleet, commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip, arrived at Sydney Cove to establish the first permanent British penal colony in Australia. Comprising eleven ships that had departed from Portsmouth in May 1787, the fleet carried over 1,000 people, including approximately 750 convicts, as well as marines, officers, and their families. This arduous eight-month voyage across the oceans was intended to alleviate the pressure on the overcrowded British prison system, which had previously relied on the American colonies before the American War of Independence.

The arrival of the fleet represented a significant turning point in the history of the British Empire, initiating the formal colonisation of the continent. Upon landing, the settlers faced the immediate challenges of establishing a functional settlement in an unfamiliar environment, characterised by vastly different flora, fauna, and climate conditions. The establishment of the colony at Sydney Cove served as the foundation for what would eventually become the city of Sydney, fundamentally altering the geopolitical landscape of the region.

The presence of the First Fleet had profound and lasting consequences for the Indigenous peoples of the area, specifically the Eora nation. The arrival of the British settlers initiated a period of dispossession, conflict, and the introduction of diseases to which the local population had no immunity. These interactions marked the beginning of a complex and often tragic history of colonisation that would reshape the lives and cultures of the original inhabitants of the continent for generations to come.

• The fleet consisted of eleven ships carrying over 1,000 people.
• The voyage from Portsmouth lasted approximately eight months.
• The primary purpose was to establish a penal settlement for British convicts.
• The landing occurred at Sydney Cove in January 1788.
• The arrival initiated permanent British colonisation in Australia.