The First Fleet

By Grace

How long did the journey take?

11 ships left Portsmouth, England on the 13th of May 1787. Captain Arthur Phillip led the boats. The boats carried officers, crew, marines and their families also convicts. The voyage finished on the 26th of January. The voyage took eight months and one week.

How many didn’t survive?

Only 48 people didn’t survive in the first group of ships.

Why did they send convicts to Australia?

America refused to accept any more convicts, so England had to find somewhere else to send their prisoners. England thought that sending convicts to New South Wales was the only solution.

How many people were on the First Fleet?

There were about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts (192 woman and 586 men). 

What did the First Fleet take to Australia with them? The First Fleet brought a variety of items needed to start a new settlement, such as seeds, farm implements, and farm animals.

How did the First Fleet change the lives of the Aboriginal people? The First Fleet came and they brought diseases and lots of aboriginals died.

Why do some people think of settlers as invaders? Some people fought to get to England and some people went peacefully. So the people that were there were invaded so much that they thought the settlers were invaders. 

What was the average age of convicts sent to Australia? The average age of convicts is 22. 

Why did some convicts stay once they had served their sentences? Some couldn’t afford to go home on the boat.Some of the convicts thought that they would have a better life in Australia.