Resources transported with the First Fleet
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Preparation for the voyage.
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Challenges of transporting hundreds of convicts, marines and crew across the world.
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What food, medicines, animals, seeds and equipment the ships carried, where they stopped for fresh supplies and how these resources helped establish the new British colony.
Stage 2 learning focus:
Imagine preparing 11 ships for an eight-month journey across the oceans. What would you need to take? Discover how Arthur Phillip planned for the First Fleet's voyage, explore historical records to find out what supplies were carried, and investigate why food, water, medicines, animals and tools were so important for the journey and the new settlement.
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Life aboard the Lady Penrhyn.
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How the ships collected fresh food, medicines and livestock during the voyage.
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Supplies purchased.
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Why animals became sick or died during the journey.
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Challenges of transporting people and resources across the oceans.
Stage 2 learning focus:
Imagine spending eight months aboard a sailing ship travelling to Australia. What would you eat, and how would you keep people and animals healthy? Explore Arthur Bowes-Smyth's journal to discover what supplies the First Fleet carried, why the ships stopped at different ports, and what problems they faced along the way. Use his observations to find clues about the challenges of establishing a new colony.
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Life aboard the First Fleet.
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How the ships collected food, water, livestock and other supplies during the journey.
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Provisions needed to establish the new colony, why the Fleet stopped at different ports and the shortages and conditions experienced by convicts.
Stage 2 learning focus:
Imagine travelling for eight months aboard a sailing ship with hundreds of other people. What would you need to survive? Follow the First Fleet's journey through Watkin Tench's eyewitness account, discover what supplies were collected along the way and investigate the challenges of keeping everyone fed and healthy. Use clues from his writing to understand how the British prepared for life in a new settlement.
John White — Health and survival on the First Fleet
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Caring for hundreds of people aboard the First Fleet.
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How fresh food, drinking water and medicines kept convicts, marines and crew healthy.
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What happened when water was rationed, why scurvy was a serious concern and how fresh supplies collected at different ports helped sick passengers recover.
Stage 2 learning focus:
Imagine being responsible for keeping hundreds of people healthy during an eight-month sea voyage. What would you need? Explore John White's journal to discover how people were fed and cared for aboard the First Fleet, why fresh water and food were so important, and what happened when supplies ran low. Use his eyewitness observations to investigate the challenges of surviving a long journey across the oceans.
Newton Fowell — Supplies for the First Fleet (1787–1788)
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How the First Fleet transported essential supplies to Australia.
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How food, livestock and other provisions were collected and distributed across the Fleet to support the voyage.
Stage 2 learning focus:
Imagine helping prepare 11 ships for a journey to the other side of the world. What would you need to take? Explore Newton Fowell's letters to discover how the First Fleet collected food, animals and other supplies, and investigate why these resources were essential for establishing a settlement far from Britain.
Philip Gidley King — Supplies for the First Fleet (1787–1788)
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How the First Fleet prepared for its voyage.
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How food, farming tools, livestock and other supplies were distributed among the ships.
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Provisions collected and shortages while preparing for the new colony.
Stage 2 learning focus:
Imagine organising supplies for 11 ships travelling to the other side of the world. How would you make sure everything arrived safely? Explore Philip Gidley King's journal to discover how the First Fleet transported essential resources, why supplies were shared between ships and how the British prepared to establish a settlement in New South Wales.