Botany Bay Collection

The First Fleet
Some of the First Fleet - eleven British Navy ships under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, which took 750 British convicts to Botany Bay

Captain James Cook taking possession of New South Wales in the name of the British Crown, 1770. James Cook (1728-1779), English explorer, navigator and hydrographer, made three voyages of discovery

Convict Ship
circa 1870: Convicts on a ship bound for Botany Bay, Australia. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Map of Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Cartography, 18th century. Map of Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia

Captain Cook and crew land at Botany Bay, Australia
6266201 Captain Cook and crew land at Botany Bay, Australia; (add.info.: Captain Cook and his crew land at Botany Bay, Australia)

Map of Sydney, c.1900 (engraving)
532872 Map of Sydney, c.1900 (engraving); (add.info.: Map of Sydney, Australia, circa 1900, from the 10th edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica.); Encyclopaedia Britannica/UIG.

'Sydney et Botany-Bay; Les Terres Du Pacifique, 1914. Creator: Unknown
'Sydney et Botany-Bay; Les Terres Du Pacifique, 1914. From "Grande Geographie Bong Illustree", 1914

Port Botany, Botany Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, container ship, pier, port machinery, port cranes, multi-colored sea containers

Chalk cliffs reflected, Botany Bay, Broadstairs, Kent, United Kingdom, Europe

Aerial view, Australia, Botany Bay, City, Cityscape, geometry shapes, New South Wales, Outdoors, Overhead View, Photography, beach, Sydney, colored tents, blue

Kingswear, Devon, 1936. Sights of Britain, second series of 48 cigarette cards, issued with Senior Service, Junior Member, and Illingworth cigarettes

Sydney Illustrated (engraving)
1054383 Sydney Illustrated (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Sydney Illustrated)

Relics of Captain Cook (engraving)
1046131 Relics of Captain Cook (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Relics of Captain Cook, collected by him during the Voyage of the " Endeavour)

Captain Cook Taking Possession of the Australian Continent on Behalf of the British Crown, 1770 (colour litho)
5235831 Captain Cook Taking Possession of the Australian Continent on Behalf of the British Crown, 1770 (colour litho) by Gilfillan

Consequences of a Succesful French Invasion pub. 1798 (hand coloured engraving)
3025912 Consequences of a Succesful French Invasion pub. 1798 (hand coloured engraving) by Gillray, James (1757-1815); Private Collection; (add.info)

Captain Cook taking possession of New South Wales, 1770
STC373556 Captain Cook taking possession of New South Wales, 1770, illustration from Hutchinsons Story of the British Nation, c.1923 (colour litho) by Gilfillan

Botany Bay and Cooks River, New South Wales (engraving)
1610781 Botany Bay and Cooks River, New South Wales (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Botany Bay and Cooks River, New South Wales)

Sir Joseph Banks (engraving)
815939 Sir Joseph Banks (engraving) by Lawrence, Thomas (1769-1830) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet (1743-1820)

Early Annals of the Australian Colonies (engraving)
1595705 Early Annals of the Australian Colonies (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Early Annals of the Australian Colonies)

Oceanus
Dramatic light and an incoming tide produce a brief but unrgettable moment at sunrise one summer morning.. Chris Moore

Miss Ula Clarke (left) and her sister, Alice Clarke, both from Sydney, Australia, returned to their roots from down under, pictured with plaque commemorating their great great great grandmother

Monmouthshire NP25 4 Map
Postcode Sector Map of Monmouthshire NP25 4

Enfield EN2 8 Map
Postcode Sector Map of Enfield EN2 8

Port Botany, Botany Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, container ship, pier, port machinery, port cranes, multi-colored sea containers

Aerial view, Australia, Botany Bay, City, Cityscape, colored tetris, container ship, geometry shapes, multi-colored sea containers, New South Wales, Outdoors, Overhead View, Photography, pier

Bare Island, Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Fort

Captain Cook Landing in Australia, 1912. Artist: Charles Robinson
Captain Cook Landing in Australia, 1912. Captain Cook (1728-1779) in naval uniform landing at Botany Bay on Sunday 29 April 1770. Cook made three voyages of discovery

A View of Botany Bay, 1789. Artist: Robert Clevely
A View of Botany Bay, 1789. The Supply and Sirius bringing in the first convict transports into Botany Bay, New South Wales, in 1787. From Adventures By Sea From Art of Old Time, by Basil Lubbock

Bare Island, Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia, 1886. Artist: W Macleod
Bare Island, Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia, 1886. Bare Island is a small island in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia

The first landing place, Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia, 1886. Artist: W Macleod
The first landing place, Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia, 1886. Botany Bay is a bay near Sydney. It is the place where Captain Cook made his first landfall in Australia in 1770

Captain Cooks landing place, Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia, 1886. Botany Bay is a bay near Sydney where James Cook made his first landfall on Australian soil in 1770

Captain Cook claims Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia, 1770 (1886). James Cook proclaiming New South Wales a British possession after landing there on his first voyage of discovery

Bare Island Fort, Botany Bay, La Perouse
Colorful sunset with Bare Island Fort, Botany Bay in La Perouse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Antique maps of Botany Bay and Endeavour River in Australia

Captain Cook and his crew land at Botany Bay, Australia. Though there was a minor skirmish with the local Gweagal aborigines it was nowhere near as intense as suggested by this 19th century print by

Sunset Over Botany Bay, British Columbia

Waves On Rocky Shoreline, Botany Bay, British Columbia

Antique maps of Botany Bay and Endeavour River in Australia

Cooks River Dam, Botany Bay, New South Wales, 1865

Botany Bay, New South Wales, with Botany Heads in the Distance, 1865

Botany Bay, New South Wales, with Botany Heads in the Distance, 1865

Cooks River Dam, Botany Bay, New South Wales, 1865

An encounter between British colonists and Australian Aborig
Drawing 25 from the Watling Collection titled Mr. White, Harris and Laing with a party of Soldiers visiting Botany Bay Colebee at that place, when wounded by a Port Jackson Painter c. 1790

Mr White, Harris and Laing with a party of Soldiers visiting

A view of the coastline to the south of Botany Bay
Drawing 5 from the Watling Collection titled A View of the Land to the Southward of Botany Bay with the Entrance of the Harbour by John Hunter, 1790-1797

View of sandy beach and chalk cliffs at sunrise, Botany Bay, Kent, England, may

View of sandy beach and chalk sea stacks, Botany Bay, Kent, England, may

1827 Port Jackson Australian Aboriginal 1
Early Lithographic print by Honegger drawn by Fuchs, from Dr. Shinz, " Naturgeschichte und Abbilldungen des Menschen der verschiedenen" 1827/1840, with hand colouring

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Botany Bay: A Historic Gateway to Australia's Past and Present" Step back in time as we delve into the captivating history of Botany Bay, a place that witnessed significant events shaping the nation of Australia. It all began with Captain James Cook, who claimed New South Wales for the British Crown in 1770, marking the birth of modern-day Sydney. As part of the First Fleet's journey, Botany Bay became synonymous with convict ships arriving on its shores. These vessels carried thousands of men and women seeking redemption or serving their sentences in this distant land. The bay served as a gateway to a new life for these individuals, forever leaving an indelible mark on Australian society. Today, Port Botany stands proudly along the shores of Botany Bay—a bustling hub where container ships dock and pier machinery hums tirelessly. Multi-colored sea containers line up like vibrant puzzle pieces waiting to be transported across oceans, connecting nations through trade and commerce. Yet amidst this modernity lies echoes from centuries past. In Kingswear, Devon during 1936, artists immortalized Botany Bay's significance through engravings depicting Captain Cook's arrival and relics associated with his exploration. These images serve as reminders of our shared heritage and remind us how far we have come since those early days. Sydney Illustrated showcases another glimpse into history—an engraving capturing both the beauty and potential held within this natural harbor. The image transports us back to a time when untamed wilderness met colonial aspirations—a testament to human resilience against challenging landscapes. But not all scenarios were optimistic; "Consequences of a Successful French Invasion" published in 1798 offers an intriguing alternate reality had France triumphed over Britain at Botany Bay. This hand-colored engraving serves as a reminder that history is shaped by pivotal moments—ones that can alter destinies forever.