The Dictionary of Sydney
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Migration

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Migration

Subject

Alexander

Borrowdale

Charlotte

First Fleet

Fishburn

Friendship

Golden Grove

HMAT Supply

HMS Sirius

Lady Penrhyn

Prince of Wales

Scarborough

Second Fleet

Emigrants Barracks

Female Immigrants' Home

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Migration

Alexander

The Alexander was the largest and most notorious convict transport in the First Fleet carrying 'ye worst of land-lubbers'.

Borrowdale

The Borrowdale, along with the other storeships of the First Fleet, took on board two years' worth of provisions and stores for the new colony including 'implements of husbandry, clothing for the troops and convicts and other necessaries'.

Charlotte

The Charlotte was one of six transports among the 11 ships of the First Fleet that arrived at Sydney Cove on the 26 January 1788 under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip. She left Sydney Cove bound for Canton on 8 May 1788, arriving back in England in June 1789.

First Fleet

Phillip described the transportation of convicts to New South Wales as a voyage 'to the extremity of the globe'. Having successfully managed both the ships and the convicts, the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove brought Phillip new challenges: how to keep men and women, convicts and alcohol, camp and fleet, apart.

Fishburn

Fishburn was the largest of the three store ships of the First Fleet stocked with provisions for the new colony. After her return to England, Fishburn was lost in a storm off Gun Fleet Sand in October 1789.

Friendship

The Friendship was one of the six convict transports in the First Fleet. She was scuttled and sunk on her return voyage after becoming stuck on sandbanks off the coast of Borneo.

Golden Grove

Golden Grove was one of the three storeships of the First Fleet and is credited as having made the fastest return journey of any of the First Fleet ships.

HMAT Supply

HMAT Supply was the smallest and fastest ship in the First Fleet. A naval vessel, she carried 16 marines and accompanied the flagship HMS Sirius on the voyage to Sydney Cove. Over the next three years she made 11 more voyages, the last causing her so much damage that she was ordered back to England. She reached Plymouth on 21 April 1792.

HMS Sirius

Flagship of the first fleet, Sirius was vital to the survival of the young colony.

Lady Penrhyn

The Lady Penrhyn was the slowest ship of the First Fleet with the largest number of female convicts. She entered Port Jackson on 26 January but it was not until 6 February that the convict women disembarked, having spent a total of 13 months confined to the transport.

Prince of Wales

The Prince of Wales was the last ship to join the First Fleet on its epic voyage to Botany Bay in 1787-88. It remained at Sydney Cove for five months while its stores were unloaded.The ship returned to Falmouth on 25 March 1789 with many of the crew having suffered from scurvy on the voyage home.

Scarborough

The second largest of the First Fleet vessels, Scarborough carried male convicts to the penal colony of New South Wales as part of both the First and Second fleets. Scarborough was the only ship of the First Fleet whose convict passengers plotted a mutiny, albeit one that was swiftly uncovered and thwarted

Second Fleet

The Second Fleet was a term later applied to the second wave of British convict transports and storeships sent to New South Wales in 1789-90. While one of its number failed to reach Sydney's shores, another earned the nickname 'floating brothel' and three other ships were tagged the 'Death Fleet'.

Emigrants Barracks

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Timber huts on Bent Street opposite Phillip Street that housed government sponsored migrants on their arrival in Sydney between 1837 and the mid 1840s. Tents were also pitched to accommodate when large numbers of people arrived in ships. The Government Printing Office was also located in the same complex from January 1841.

Female Immigrants' Home

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Organisation founded by Caroline Chisholm in 1841 to provide accommodation and support for the large numbers of single women migrating to New South Wales. The Home occupied a portion in the south west of the Immigrants Barracks on Bent Street opposite the corner of Phillip Street. It opened in November 1841 and closed on 5 May 1842 after providing for thousands of women.