This Term, Year Four has been learning about the First Fleet and impacts of British settlement on Aboriginal peoples. 

What have you found out about the First Fleet? It was a bad time for Britain in the 1700s because most of their gaols were full so the convicts had to come to Australia. Arthur Phillip was their captain. Most of the convicts were men because sometimes the women had to go to different gaols to do cooking and cleaning. Some of the convicts were as young as nine years old and had to travel with convicts more than twice their age and size. By Khaya

What happened when the British people first came to Australia? When the British arrived in Botany Bay, the Aboriginal people thought they were their ancestors. The British started chopping down trees for farming land and space for housing. By Cara

What have you found interesting about British settlement? The Aboriginal people thought the British settlers were their ancestors. The British settlers didn’t stay at the first location they landed because there wasn’t enough room and the coast was too shallow, so they relocated to Sydney Cove. The British settlers started cutting down trees to settle the area. By Evelyn

Last Friday we went on an excursion to Sydney. We visited Hyde Park Barracks and Sydney Museum to find out more about British settlement.

At the Hyde Park Barracks we found out what the convicts ate and where they slept. I enjoyed wearing the clothes convicts used to wear when they were working. By Mbali.

I learnt how the convicts slept and how they had to behave. I enjoyed joining in all of the activities and learning about the convict punishments. By Ashton

We went to the Sydney Museum which is on the site of the first Governor’s house. We learnt some Aboriginal words and played charades with them. Our guide showed us some of the relics from British settlement such as broken plates and glasses and the sewerage system. By Jaxx

I liked learning about things I hadn’t learnt about before. I liked seeing the coolamon where Aboriginal babies slept, and the fur that was used to keep them warm. I also liked seeing relics of the clothes people used to wear in the past. By Ellie