Elizabeth Farm was established at Rose Hill in 1793 on the land of the Burramattagal clan of the Dharug people. It was located on a slight hill overlooking the upper reaches of Parramatta River, Elizabeth and John Macarthur arrived in New South Wales in 1790 with the Second Fleet. In…
View More Australia Philately: Elizabeth FarmCategory: Australia
Australia Philately: Ryde
On 3 January 1792, the first land in the Field of Mars area was granted to eight marines, along the northern bank of the river between Sydney and Parramatta. The area was named by Governor Phillip to reflect the military association with these new settlers. These grants were soon followed…
View More Australia Philately: RydeAustralia Philately: Parramatta Road
British settlement at Rose Hill began in 1788, not long after the arrival of The First Fleet. Between 1789 and 1791 an overland track was made to provide an official land route between the two settlements. On 4 June 1791 Governor Phillip changed the name of Rose Hill to Parramatta…
View More Australia Philately: Parramatta RoadAustralia Philately: Parramatta
On 4 June 1791 Governor Phillip changed the name of the township of Rose Hill to Parramatta. Parramatta is a European translation of the Burramattagal name of Burramatta, which means Eel (“Burra”) Place (“matta”). Farming in the area was successful and the produce helped to support the colonists in its…
View More Australia Philately: ParramattaAustralia Philately: Second Government Farm
In 1791 Governor Phillip appointed Superintendent Thomas Daveney to select, plan and superintend a more extensive “second settlement” further up the Toongabbie Creek. The second Government farm was built by convict labour from 1791 to 1813. It employed up to 500 convicts, mostly from the Third Fleet. The convicts were…
View More Australia Philately: Second Government FarmAustralia Philately: Sydney Hospital
Many of the 736 convicts who survived the voyage of the First Fleet arrived suffering from dysentery, smallpox, scurvy, and typhoid. Soon after landing Governor Phillip and Surgeon-General John White established a tent hospital in The Rocks to care for the worst cases. Subsequent convict boatloads had even higher rates…
View More Australia Philately: Sydney HospitalAustralia Philately: The First Fleet (1787-1788)
The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 British ships that took the first British colonists and convicts to the Colony of New South Wales. It comprised two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command of Captain Arthur…
View More Australia Philately: The First Fleet (1787-1788)Australia Philately: Sydney Cove
Sydney Cove was a bay on the southern shores of Port Jackson harbour. It was named Warrane by the Eora people. Governor Phillip had been instructed to establish the penal settlement at Botany Bay, which had been discovered by Lieutenant James Cook during his voyage of discovery in 1770, and…
View More Australia Philately: Sydney CoveAustralia Philately: The Rocks
The Rocks became established shortly after the colony’s formation in 1788. It was known as Tallawoladah by the Cadigal people. The original buildings were first traditional vernacular houses, of wattle and daub, with thatched roofs, and later of local sandstone, from which the area derives its name. From the earliest…
View More Australia Philately: The RocksAustralia Philately: Government House (Rose Hill)
Governor Phillip‘s original cottage was located on the hill above the Crescent at Rose Hill. It was built using convict labour. The extensive garden setting of the building, as well as its prominent position, with a view over the township, gave some status to what was essentially a cottage. Although…
View More Australia Philately: Government House (Rose Hill)