E36: The Van Diemen's Land Version of the First Fleet

In 1803, Governor Philip Gidley King in Sydney sent two ships to near modern day Hobart. There had been multiple earlier European visits to Van Diemen’s Land but these ships were going to stay and build a permanent British settlement. Governor King’s response was both reactive and decisive. By planting a permanent British presence on the Derwent — first through the small, improvised party under John Bowen and then through the far more substantial expedition led by David Collins — Britain converted a theoretical claim into effective occupation. The rapid establishment of settlements in both the south and the north of the island marked the moment Van Diemen’s Land ceased to be an unclaimed frontier and became the second major British colony in Australia. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please leave a comment, share and rate the show ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Also listen and subscribe at Youtube and Rumble here 👉@politicalhistoryofaustraliaThe Hon. John Ruddick MLC is a member of the NSW Legislative Council. johnruddick.com.auhttps://www.tiktok.com/@johnruddickmlchttps://x.com/JohnRuddick2https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnruddickmlc/https://www.facebook.com/johnruddickmlc https://www.instagram.com/john.ruddick/Produced by Sean Masters(All voices in this series are AI generated bar the narrator.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.