Sydney was established in that year when the first English fleet landed. There were eleven ships in total, and they left Portsmouth, England on May 13th, 1787. There were 759 inmates on board, the vast majority of whom were men.
They stole two years' worth of food in addition to seeds, farming equipment, and livestock (including cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, and chicks). On January 26, 1788, the earliest settlers arrived at Port Jackson. Captain Arthur Phillip led them (1738-1814).
Lord Thomas Townshend was the inspiration for the name Sydney (1733-1800). In 1783, after being appointed British Secretary of State, he advocated for the colonisation of Australia. Food was scarce when the colonists first arrived, so Phillip sent a ship to the South to stock up, and it returned in May of 1789. Rations were quite meagre and food was scarce.
Still, things got better over time. Following the initial 1788 fleet, two more sailed to Australia in 1790 and 1791. The early immigrants in Sydney built crude timber shacks as their homes, but later convicts began producing bricks for construction. A church was established in Sydney in 1793.
Additionally, Australia had harsh rules of conduct. Flogging was the norm for punishing minor offences. The death penalty was imposed for particularly heinous crimes. Thomas Barrett, who was killed for theft of food on February 27, 1788, was the first person to be hanged in Australia. On November 23, 1789, Ann Davis became the first woman to be executed in Australia by hanging.
Cadman's Cottage, a coxswain's barracks constructed in 1815–16, is Sydney's oldest surviving building. John Cadman, a former resident, inspired the name. (Today, Cadman's Cottage serves as a visitor centre for the National Parks and Wildlife Service.)
In December of 1792, Captain Phillip sailed away from Australia. There was a void of governance in Australia for three years until John Hunter (1737-1821) was appointed governor. From 1795 to 1800, he served as governor, and then, from 1800 to 1806, Philip King (1758-1808) took over.
During this time, in 1803, the first Australian newspaper was released. It was published twice weekly and was known as the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser. Unfortunately, violence with Indigenous Australians quickly escalated after the first armada landed.
The Europeans' superior technology and weaponry ensured their eventual victory and the subsequent displacement of the native population. But a sickness proved to be their most powerful ally. The smallpox pandemic wiped out the indigenous people.
Also, William Bligh was appointed governor of Australia in 1806. The mutiny aboard The Bounty is widely attributed to Bligh. Bligh was able to alienate the settlers in a typical fashion after his arrival in Australia. There was a time when rum could be exchanged for money. Officers decided Bligh was unsuitable to reign and ousted him when he sought to halt this. As a result of Bligh's incarceration, he agreed to abandon Australia.
However, after a way was discovered through the Blue Mountains in 1813, the Australian colony flourished. At the same time, Sydney experienced significant expansion. In 1794, Sydney's first theatre opened, and in 1804, a stone bridge was constructed across the Tank Stream. There had never been a stone bridge in Australia prior to this one. In 180 9, the Lower George Street location became the site of Australia's first post office.
Phillip, the first governor, had a plot of land designated for his personal use. The area was renamed the Domain. Phillip named the area around Manly when he observed several very "manly" Indigenous Australians.
From 1810 to 1822, Lachlan Macquarie served as the governor of New South Wales. Sydney's development up until this point had been chaotic.
Macquarie was resolved to establish law and order. He then proceeded to pave the city's streets and construct numerous government buildings in Sydney. Francis Greenway, an architect, aided him (1777-1824). Early settlers were often forced to work in gardens. A lack of success ultimately led to the area being converted into the Botanic Garden in 1816.
In 1819, Sydney saw the construction of Hyde Park Barracks. Its original function was as prisoner housing. At present, it serves as a museum. In 1827, the museum that would come to be known as the Australian Museum was established. St. James, established in 1824, is Sydney's oldest surviving church.
In the meantime, 1793 saw the arrival of the first free settlers to Australia. A man named John Palmer was among them. With the land he had been given, he constructed the Woolloomooloo home. Specifically, it was responsible for naming a section of Sydney.
Founded in 1817, the Bank of New South Wales was the first Australian bank. The first Australian gin was produced in Sydney in 1834 by Robert Cooper, while hackney carriages began plying the city's streets as early as 1830. The city of Sydney, Australia switched to gas streetlights in 1841. In the meantime, in 1831 the Sydney Herald was first released. It was originally published every week, but in 1840 it switched to publishing every day. The Sydney Morning Herald was founded in 1842.
19th Century Sydney
Despite the termination of rail to New South Wales in 1840, Sydney had extraordinary growth during the 19th century. Sydney had 56 thousand residents and was thriving by the year 1861. By 1881, Sydney had an incredible 221,000 residents.
Sydney was formally established that year, in 1842. (given a corporation and mayor). Its origins may be traced back to 1850, when Sydney University opened its doors. Fort Denison was then constructed between 1855 and 1857 to guard Sydney. Sir William Denison (1804-1871), governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861, inspired the town's naming.
Sydney's population grew rapidly, necessitating the construction of numerous new structures to accommodate the influx of residents. In 1845, construction began on Government House. The Sydney Observatory was erected in that year, 1858. Vaucluse House, previously home to statesman William Charles Wentworth, is another well-known Sydney landmark from the nineteenth century (1790-1872). After a fire destroyed the original cathedral in 1865, construction began on the current St. Mary's RC Cathedral. In 1905, the St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco was officially dedicated. To be fair, it wasn't until 1999 that the twin spires were installed.
The Great Synagogue was dedicated in 1878, and St. Andrew's Cathedral followed in 1868.
It was in 1883 that construction began on the Macquarie lighthouse. The Sydney Customs House was constructed in that year. James Barnet, an architect, designed it (1827-1904). The Australian Museum Building, which opened in 1864, was also designed by the same designer.
In 1888, plans were drawn up for what would become Centennial Park. Sydney's Strand Arcade was opened in 1892, while Sydney Town Hall was constructed between 1869 and 1889. (It was given the moniker of a London street.) In 1898, construction began on the Queen Victoria Building.
While this was going on, in 1855 a railway was constructed between Sydney and Parramatta, and in 1861 horse-drawn trams began operating in Sydney. They were first replaced by steam trams in the 1880s and then by electric trams at the turn of the 20th century.
There was a gradual decline of the tram network beginning in the 1950s, and the last tram in Sydney ran in 1961. At the same time, in 1920, Sydney's airport opened. Sydney's first subterranean train line opened to the public in 1926.
However, in 1867, Sydney was hit by a measles epidemic. In 1881, there was also a smallpox pandemic.
20th Century Sydney
Sydney's fast development throughout the 20th century continued. There were 481,000 people living in Sydney in the year 1900. The population hit over 1 million by 1950, up from 981,000 in 1921. Sydney's population had reached over 3 million by 1975.
However, in 1900, 103 individuals were murdered by a bubonic plague epidemic in Sydney's poorer neighbourhoods. The situation was entrusted to one Robert Sutherland Thompson. A Frenchman named Paul-Louis Simond operating in India in 1898 proposed that bubonic plague was spread by fleas that infest rats, but his idea was not widely accepted.
Thompson was a participant in this. He carefully observed the pandemic in Sydney, confirming the Frenchman's theory.
After then, slum clearance operations started in The Rocks, Sydney's most dangerous neighbourhood at the time. (These days, the area is known for its high-end hotels and dining options.) The Taronga Zoo first welcomed visitors in 1916, while Sydney's State Theatre first welcomed audiences in 1929.
Sydney's Anzac War Memorial, created by Bruce Dellit, is a must-see (1898-1942). Construction began on it in 1934. Rayner Hoff, the monument's sculptor, did an excellent job (1894-1937). Anzacs who fought in North Africa during World War II are honoured by the El Alamein Fountain, which was constructed in 1961.
On July 28, 1923, the first sod was turned to begin construction of Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the approaches were built. Dorman, Long, and Co., a construction company, was hired in March of 1924. The arch was completed in 1930. Construction of the Sydney Bridge claimed the lives of sixteen workers.
The opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was March 19, 1932. Former New South Wales Premier Jack Lang (1875-1975) opened it in 1925. Lang also served as premier from 1930 to 1932. (Although someone named Captain de Groot snipped the tape before the Prime Minister could.)
The length of the brand new bridge was precisely 3,770 feet. The main bridge has a span of 1,650 feet. There was a span of 170 feet for passing ships. Since its inception in 1998, the Bridge Climb has been a popular climbing event.
In the meantime, in 1932, Hyde Park got its Archibald Fountain.
The Japanese midget submarines reached Sydney Harbour on May 31st, 1942. Twenty-one Australians and two Britons were killed when a torpedo fired by one of them struck HMAS Kuttabul.
Sydney saw a decrease in manufacturing jobs in the late 20th century. Sydney, Australia is the country's economic and financial hub because of the city's booming service sector. Another major port is Sydney (although most of the cargo goes through Port Botany).
Today Of course, Sydney is a popular vacation spot. The late 20th century saw the opening of numerous museums. In the midst of the 1950s, the Sydney Tram Museum was established. Before its current location in 1988. Powerhouse Museum first welcomed visitors in 1988. In 1992, the doors opened on the Sydney Jewish Museum.
On October 20, 1973, Queen Elizabeth II officially dedicated the Sydney Opera House. In 1957, a Danish architect named Jorn Utzon (1918-2008) beat out competitors from all around the world to build the Opera House. The construction took 14 years, and Utzon quit the project in 1966.
Michael Nelson Tjakamarra painted a mural titled "Possum Dreaming" for the theatre in 1988. The Sydney Opera House was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007. Present day
The Opera House is probably the most famous landmark in Sydney.
The Sydney Tower was completed in 1981, while the Wharf Theatre first opened its doors in 1984. It wasn't until 1983, however, that Sydney's Entertainment Centre opened its doors to the public. And in 1988, the Chinese Garden of Friendship was unveiled to the public. Bicentennial Park also debuted in 1988. The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre also opened that year, 1988.
Since its rebirth in 1988, Darling Harbour has been a popular destination for Sydney locals in search of retail therapy, culinary adventures, and fun times at the theatre. The Sydney Harbour Tunnel was completed in 1992. Gov. Phillip and Gov. Macquarie Towers opened to the public in '94.
In 1991, Sydney, Australia became home to the Australian National Maritime Museum. In 1991, the Museum of Modern Art also welcomed its first visitors. In 1995, Sydney welcomed its first museum goers. The Anzac Bridge and the Broadway Shopping Centre both opened to the public in 1996 and 1998, respectively.
The MLC Centre, constructed in 1977, is another well-known structure in Sydney. In 1981, the Sydney Tower was erected as another iconic structure in the city. The Star City Casino Complex first welcomed gamblers in 1997. On May 25, 1976, a fire damaged a portion of The Strand, a Victorian-era shopping arcade. However, it was reconstructed and returned to its former glory.
Growth Of The Modern City
Between 1850 and 1890, Sydney's population exploded from 60,000 to 400,000 as densely packed terrace houses were built in the city's suburbs. These homes, with their ornate cast-iron railings and balconies, are today considered Sydney's most cherished historical remnant. As early as 1855, construction began on the first railway between Sydney and Parramatta.
Sydney's expansion was slowed slightly by the financial crisis of the 1890s, but the city's population doubled again by 1914 and passed the million mark shortly thereafter. In spite of this, the capital city of Victoria, Melbourne, was expanding at an even more rapid rate in the 1850s and 1860s, in part because of the gold rush in the colony of Victoria.
Melbourne temporarily surpassed Sydney in size and prominence, becoming the country's financial centre; it also served as the capital of the Commonwealth of Australia until the Federal Capital of Canberra was constructed en route, midway between Melbourne and Sydney, in 1927. Returning to its former status as Australia's greatest city in 1911, Sydney gained from the post-war diversification of Australian trade away from Britain and towards North and Asia.
Sydney's population has remained slightly higher than Melbourne's, and the two cities are now on par as financial, commercial, and manufacturing hubs. The environmental degradation, traffic congestion, and crime that plague so many other major cities throughout the world are all problems that have followed its rapid expansion.
Sydney, despite this, has developed into Australia's most advanced and global metropolis. The most glaring instance of this was when it hosted the Summer Olympics in 2000.
Setting Sail
In May of 1787, eleven ships comprising The First Fleet set sail from England on what would become one of the biggest sea trips in history, taking a motley crew of over a thousand people on a 250-day journey into the unknown.
Crew and passengers alike basked in the sun on deck during the first leg of the trip from Portsmouth to Tenerife. However, difficulties began for the First Fleet as they swung south towards Rio de Janeiro.
The passengers, especially the convicts, were trapped below decks in deplorable conditions for weeks while the ships drifted aimlessly and ran out of water due to the torrential tropical rains that prevented them from accessing the decks.
During these long weeks, many sailors perished, and the remaining ones relieved their boredom by having sex with female prisoners and passengers. Several pregnancies and births happened naturally over the long trip.
After docking in Rio for a month beginning in August, the fleet was able to rest and restock before setting sail for the east. Before the final difficult months of the voyage began, the ship made its final halt at Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
A Land Down Under…
A series of unusual storms put the ships through their paces as they crossed the Indian Ocean, spotted Tasmania, and then finally began to make their way up the east coast of Australia. But miraculously, on 19 January 1788, after such a lengthy and perilous voyage, they arrived in Botany Bay with only 48 deaths out of 1,500.
Well, at least there was some good news. The downside was that reality did not match Cook's romanticised account of Botany Bay. It had shallow water, bad soil, a shortage of clean water, and wary indigenous. The colony's survival was in jeopardy due to its exposed location and the intoxicated fights between marines and prisoners.
Therefore, Captain Arthur Phillip, the exhibition's commander, requested and received approval to relocate.
On the 21st of January, he and a small group of colleagues set out to discover the area to the north of Botany Bay. Twelve miles north of Botany Bay, they came into Port Jackson, a spot named but barely noted by Cook.
Settlement Of Sydney
Port Jackson was renamed Sydney after the then-British Home Secretary Lord Sydney, and the subsequent relocation of prisoners and settlers took place over the following days. With the planting of the flag and the proclamation of New South Wales as a British colony, Australian history officially began.
This was only the beginning of the settlers' difficulties. They were abandoned by the First Fleet, and combat with native groups would continue intermittently until 1810. However, the British government's stated goal was to establish amicable ties with the local populace.
The final "first-fleeter," a female convict from Manchester named Betty King, died in 1856, but the town continued to thrive and expand until it was unrecognisable. The 26th of January is a major holiday in Australia, known as "Australia Day."
Conclusion
Sydney was founded by the first English fleet in 1788. Meagre rations were scarce. Australia had tight rules. Ann Davis was Australia's first female executioner. Sydney's oldest inhabited structure is John Cadman Cottage.
1793 saw Australia's first free settlers. Lachlan Macquarie was New South Wales' governor from 1810-1822. The Australian Museum began in 1827. The Sydney Herald, officially named "Sydney" in 1842, first appeared in 1831. In 1861, Sydney had 56,000 residents, and in 1881, 221,000.
Rapid urbanisation spurred the construction of new facilities to house the growing population. In 1900, 103 individuals died in Sydney's slums from bubonic plague. Sydney's population expanded from 981k to 1 million by 1950. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was started on July 28, 1923. Sydney Opera House opened in 1973.
Sydney Tower was constructed in 1981, while the Wharf Theatre opened in 1984. The Anzac Bridge and Broadway Shopping Centre opened in 1996 and 1998. In 1991, the ANMM moved to Sydney. Sydney's population grew from 60,000 to 400,000 between 1850 and 1890 as terrace houses were built. The First Sydney-Parramatta railway was built in 1855.
Melbourne is becoming Australia's economic and cultural hub. The First Fleet sailed from Rio de Janeiro to Botany Bay on Australia's east coast in 1788. The colony's viability was threatened by its exposed location and marines and convicts fighting. Captain Arthur Phillip encouraged the colony's transfer.
Content Summary
- Sydney was established in that year when the first English fleet landed.
- On January 26, 1788, the earliest settlers arrived at Port Jackson.
- Captain Arthur Phillip led them (1738-1814). Lord Thomas Townshend inspired the name Sydney (1733-1800).
- In 1783, after being appointed British Secretary of State, he advocated for the colonisation of Australia.
- The death penalty was imposed for particularly heinous crimes.
- Thomas Barrett, who was killed for theft of food on February 27, 1788, was the first person to be hanged in Australia.
- On November 23, 1789, Ann Davis became the first woman to be executed in Australia by hanging.
- Cadman's Cottage, a coxswain's barracks constructed in 1815–16, is Sydney's oldest surviving building.
- There was a governance void in Australia for three years until John Hunter (1737-1821) was appointed governor.
- Also, William Bligh was appointed governor of Australia in 1806.
- In 180 9, the Lower George Street location became the site of Australia's first post office.
- From 1810 to 1822, Lachlan Macquarie served as the governor of New South Wales.
- The city of Sydney, Australia, switched to gas streetlights in 1841.
- The Sydney Morning Herald was founded in 1842.
- Despite the termination of rail to New South Wales in 1840, Sydney had extraordinary growth during the 19th century.
- Sydney had 56 thousands of residents and was thriving by the year 1861.
- Sir William Denison (1804-1871), governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861, inspired the town's naming.
- Sydney's population grew rapidly, necessitating the construction of numerous new structures to accommodate the influx of residents.
- In 1905, the St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco was officially dedicated.
- However, in 1900, 103 individuals were murdered by a bubonic plague epidemic in Sydney's poorer neighbourhoods.
- Sydney's Anzac War Memorial, created by Bruce Dellit, is a must-see (1898-1942).
- The construction of the Sydney Bridge claimed the lives of sixteen workers.
- The opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was on March 19, 1932.
- Former New South Wales Premier Jack Lang (1875-1975) opened it in 1925.
- Sydney saw a decrease in manufacturing jobs in the late 20th century.
- Sydney, Australia, is the country's economic and financial hub because of the city's booming service sector.
- On October 20, 1973, Queen Elizabeth II officially dedicated the Sydney Opera House.
- UNESCO designated the Sydney Opera House a World Heritage Site in 2007.
- The Sydney Harbour Tunnel was completed in 1992.
- However, it was reconstructed and returned to its former glory.
- Between 1850 and 1890, Sydney's population exploded from 60,000 to 400,000 as densely packed terrace houses were built in the city's suburbs.
- Sydney's expansion was slowed slightly by the financial crisis of the 1890s, but the city's population doubled again by 1914 and passed the million mark shortly after that.
- Despite this, the capital city of Victoria, Melbourne, was expanding at an even more rapid rate in the 1850s and 1860s, partly because of the gold rush in the colony of Victoria.
- Returning to its former status as Australia's greatest city in 1911, Sydney gained from the post-war diversification of Australian trade away from Britain and towards North and Asia.
- Sydney's population has remained slightly higher than Melbourne's, and the two cities are now on par as financial, commercial, and manufacturing hubs.
- The environmental degradation, traffic congestion, and crime that plague many other major cities worldwide are all problems that have followed its rapid expansion.
- Sydney, despite this, has developed into Australia's most advanced and global metropolis.
- The most glaring instance of this was when it hosted the Summer Olympics in 2000.
- The downside was that reality did not match Cook's romanticised account of Botany Bay.
- It had shallow water, bad soil, a shortage of clean water, and wary indigenous.
- The colony's survival was in jeopardy due to its exposed location and the intoxicated fights between marines and prisoners.
- Twelve miles north of Botany Bay, they came into Port Jackson, a spot named but barely noted by Cook.
- Port Jackson was renamed Sydney after the then-British Home Secretary Lord Sydney, and the subsequent relocation of prisoners and settlers took place over the following days.
- Australian history officially began with the planting of the flag and the proclamation of New South Wales as a British colony.
- The First Fleet abandoned them, and combat with native groups would continue intermittently until 1810.
- January 26 is a major holiday in Australia, known as "Australia Day."
FAQs About Sydney
Great Britain
The modern history of the city began with the arrival of a First Fleet of British ships in 1788 and the foundation of a penal colony by Great Britain.
From 1788 to 1900 Sydney was the capital of the British colony of New South Wales. An elected city council was established in 1840. In 1901, Sydney became a state capital, when New South Wales voted to join the Australian Federation.
Sydney today is Australia's largest city and a major international capital of culture and finance. The city has played host to many international events, including the 2000 Summer Olympics.
In 1842 Sydney was incorporated as a city, a little over half a century after Europeans first arrived in Australia. The oldest municipality in Australia is Adelaide, created in 1840, just four years after the settlement of South Australia.
Sydney is named after Lord Sydney, British home secretary, when Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet arrived in January 1788. In a letter, Phillip described the colony in Sydney Cove as having “the finest harbour in the world” in which “a thousand sails of the line may ride in the perfect security”.
The area Sydney takes up here has a population of about 20 million, with about 8 million in Manhattan. And it's still smaller in area than Sydney. Sydney's size exceeds that of Greater London and roughly lines up with the London commuter belt, which has about 13 million inhabitants.
The Rocks
One place you won't want to miss when visiting Sydney, Australia, is The Rocks. This is Sydney's oldest historical area, located directly under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, in the centre of the city. and well worth a visit on your Australia vacation.