Sydney in Autumn

T and I journeyed back in time to 1788 tracing the steps of the First Fleet and Captain Arthur Philip in the early years of the penal colony on the tank stream. At Museum of Sydney we viewed a NSW Corps officer's uniform from the time of the Rum Rebellion. We looked at the models of the eleven ships of the First Fleet and thought about the people of the Eora Nation who were impacted by this settlement. We realised that they were devastated by small pox and the other diseases of the Europeans. Those that were able fled over the Blue Mountains to join the Wirradjuri and south to the Murri. The Aboriginal tribes lived lightly on the land and were able to harvest the ocean in Sydney Harbour to sustain themselves for thousands of years.

In the early days of the settlement the number of Aboriginal people outnumbered the colonials. Governor Arthur Philip set up trade with them and quickly learnt their knowledge of the land. He did not understand the epidemiological impact that his Fleet had on their health and well being. The 26th of January is not only the date of arrival of the First Fleet it is also the date of the Rum Rebellion's coup over Governor Bligh. Australia Day is a day of dispossession and rebellion. Becoming a citizen of Australia on Australia Day brings with it an understanding of the many layers of our heritage.