SYDNEY - A Short History

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Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is Australia's oldest and largest city with a population of around 4 million. Sydney is built around a huge harbor and hosts many attractions as well as a number of beaches,
 bays and a couple of national parks.

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In April 1770, the crew of HMS Endeavour, under the command of Captain James Cook, were the first known Europeans to sight the east coast of Australia. Ten days later they landed at a bay in what is now southern Sydney. The ship's naturalist, Sir Joseph Banks, was so impressed by the volume of flora and fauna unknown to European science, that Cook named the inlet Botany Bay.

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To sail into Sydney harbor or leave Sydney on a cruise ship through the narrow passage between the North and the South Head is certainly by far more romantic, exciting and magical nowadays than it was back in 1788 when the First Fleet of British ships under the command of Governor Arthur Philip arrived at Sydney Cove.

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From Terra Australis to Australia (State Library, New South Wales)

 

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Unlike the founding days of Sydney as a penal colony (originally called “New Albion”) today’s Sydney (sydney.com) is a vibrant, cosmopolitan and modern city that is called home by about 4 Million people and fascinates millions of tourists every year.

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