Botany Bay

- 33.983333333333151.18333333333Koordinaten: 33 ° 59 '0 "S, 151 ° 11' 0" E

The Botany Bay is a large bay in the city area of Sydney, about seven kilometers south of the Central Business District ( downtown). On April 29, 1770 it was the scene of the first landing of the British in Australia by James Cook.

The Portuguese had visited the continent in the 16th century, several times, the Dutch landed for the first time 1606. When Cook arrived in Botany Bay, he was on his first voyage around the world with the Endeavour. He made the first accurate measurements of the bay and the east coast of Australia, which were partly used until the mid 20th century.

First, the bay was named Stingray Bay, as large quantities were trapped here stingrays to supplement the supplies. The present name, in German about: Botany Bay, the bay is due to the fact that the expedition financier and botanist Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander its signatories, the naturalist of the expedition, were thrilled euphoric of the found species diversity of plants. Cook therefore also called the boundaries of the Bay Cape Banks (N ) and Point Solander (S). The two headlands and the adjacent land form the small Botany Bay National Park, home to the south side of memorials landing and discovery 1770.

Despite the recommendation Cooks from the government in London, the landing deported British convicts from 1788 did not take place at Botany Bay, but in the northern and later named Port Jackson bay.

Shortly after the arrival of the First Fleet met a French expedition led by Jean -François de La Pérouse in the Botany Bay. In his honor, wearing a district of Sydney on the north side of the bay its name.

Today, located in the Bay of heaped container port in Port Botany, an oil refinery and the largest airport in Australia, the Kingsford Smith International Airport. In the dunes of the south side, among other things, the film Mad Max 3 has been rotated.

The urban area north of the bay is called Botany Bay City.

Trivia

In the SciFi series Star Trek, the name Botany Bay is used for the spacecraft Khan (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek, Season 1, Episode 22: The Sleeping Tiger).

The text of the Irish folk song "Fields of Athenry " states: "As did prison ship sailed out against the sky; sure she'll wait and hope and pray, for her love in Botany Bay ". These lines refer to a woman whose husband was sentenced to deportation to Australia due to grain - theft during the Irish famine middle of the 19th century.