Curio

State Library of New South Wales
‘Entrance of Port Jackson 27 January 1788’, after 1802

‘Entrance of Port Jackson 27 January 1788’, after 1802

From Bradley’s manuscript journal, ‘A Voyage to New South Wales, December 1786 – May 1792’; compiled 1802+; Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW; Purchased from Francis Edwards Booksellers, London, 1924; ML Safe 1/14, opp. p. 65

Watercolour

The First Fleet consisted of 11 ships including HMS Sirius, which set sail from Portsmouth, England on 13 of May 1787.
William Bradley was appointed First Lieutenant on board HMS Sirius and sailed with the First Fleet, leaving England in 1787.
Bradley’s Point, in Sydney Harbour is named after William Bradley who surveyed the area.
William Bradley sailed with HMS Sirius to Norfolk Island. When the ship was caught on rocks and sank, Bradley was forced to remain on the island for 11 months.
Following the First Fleet visit, William Bradley returned to England where he was promoted to the rank of Master and Commander in 1792.
William Bradley’s journal of the First Fleet voyage was unknown until 1923, 90 years after his death in 1833.