VOYAGE TO PORT PHILLIP - 1803
Written by Barbara Angell
Published by Nepean Historical Society in 1984
FIRST EDITIONS!
The first official European settlement of (eventually) the State of
Victoria, Australia, occurred in 1803 just outside what is now the
fashionable holiday town of Sorrento. The area was named Sullivan Bay.
History usually credits Portland as being the first settlement, but
Sullivan Bay was fully settled and a garrison established for more than
a year when HMS Calcutta sailed from England in 1803 with a consignment
of convicts. She entered Port Phillip in October of that year and found
that its merchant vessel "Ocean" was already there and waiting, after
the expedition had got separated en route.
The contingent consisted of around 500 souls including 300 convict men
and women, plus a large party of Royal Marines, civilian and military
officers, and the aim was to settle the southern area of New South
Wales (as it was then) for security purposes. These figures do not
include the crews of the two ships which, while they remained with the
expedition, added another couple of hundred souls to this extensive
settlement.
Voyage To Port Phillip, 1803 tells for the first time the story of
those two ships and describes in detail the preparations and loading of
stores and human cargo. Discovery of "Ocean's" log book in the archives
of the East India Company made it possible to trace the routes of both
vessels and to make comparisons as to their positions on given dates.It
is a unique piece of maritime history that should be of interest to
students of the period.
At the end of the first six months at Sullivan Bay a decision was taken
to move the settlement to the shores of the Derwent River in (now)
Tasmania but it took a further six months to complete the move.
Sullivan Bay was then abandoned and its location was all but forgotten.
Voyage To Port Phillip, 1803 was first published in 1984, originally
commissioned by the Nepean Historical Society at Sorrento and this
organization has now released a number of copies for sale by the author.
The books are first editions (A5, 64pp) and there is minimal ageing (yellowing)
but the copies are in mint condition apart from this. Voyage To Port
Phillip, 1803 can be bought for $AU15.75 including postage andhandling if you:
Send a cheque or Money Order to
B.M. Angell, 130 Brooklyn Road
Brooklyn
NSW 2083
Personal cheques must wait for bank clearance before the item can be sent.