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Feature Article - Early Tasmanian settlements

THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AT RISDON (1803)

The original explorers of Tasmania (including the French) had largely concentrated their attention on the south-east and, in particular, on the sea approaches to the Derwent. Faced with the necessity for establishing a settlement to assert British sovereignty, Governor King had a number of possible sites to consider, including King Island, Port Phillip and Port Dalrymple (the Tamar Estuary). His eventual choice was the area of the Derwent and he reported his intention to the Admiralty as follows:

‘My reasons for making this settlement are the necessity there appears of preventing the French gaining a footing on the east side of these islands; to divide the convicts; to secure another place for obtaining timber with any other natural productions that may be discovered and found useful; the advantages that may be expected by raising grain; and to promote the seal fishery.’

Commissioned to make the Derwent settlement, Lieutenant John Bowen sailed from Sydney with the Albion and Lady Nelson; both were at anchor at Risdon by 11 September 1803 when Bowen went ashore. The slenderness of Governor King’s resources is apparent from the fact that the settlers-free, convict and military-numbered only 49, and that the Albion was a British whaler under temporary charter.

The responsibility for the choice of the Risdon site attaches ultimately to Bass who had made detailed investigations of the Derwent in 1798 from the Norfolk. He had reported as follows:

‘The land at the head of Risdon Creek, on the east side, seems preferable to any other on the banks of the Derwent’.

It was not surprising, therefore, that Bowen’s commission from Governor King directed him to locate the new settlement in the Risdon area. In actual fact, the site proved unsuitable due to the inadequate stream and the poor landing place; these handicaps were aggravated by the wretchedness of the people at Bowen’s disposal.

On 9 August 1804, the Ocean sailed for Port Jackson with Lieutenant Bowen and most of his people; Lieutenant-Governor Collins at the new settlement at Hobart had decided to close down the Risdon camp and  retain only thirteen convicts and one free settler.

SETTLEMENT AT SULLIVANS COVE (1804)

Lieutenant-Colonel David Collins was ordered to establish a settlement on Port Phillip Bay to secure the strategic Bass Strait for the British. However, he was unhappy with that locality and decided to transfer the settlement to the Derwent River because of its reputation as a safe harbour and the fact that Risdon had already been settled.

On 15 February 1804, Collins, with the first detachment from Port Phillip in the Ocean and Lady Nelson, anchored off the new settlement at Risdon. A quick inspection satisfied him that the site was quite unsuitable and he made his own reconnaissance, eventually selecting the area on the western bank known as Sullivans Cove and ordering that the expedition should be disembarked with all its stores in the vicinity of Hunters Island. Collins had selected gentle slopes for his settlement, located a fine stream running from Mt Wellington and found, near the mouth of the stream, an anchorage which would accept the draught of any vessel of his day (or of the modern era).

The strength of the colony was increased to 433 people in June 1804 when the Ocean returned from Port Phillip, where it had taken aboard the balance of the original expedition. From the camp on Sullivans Cove, the city of Hobart has grown.

NUMBER VICTUALLED AT SULLIVAN'S COVE, 26 FEBRUARY 1804(a)
	Men	Women	Children
Military establishment	26	1	. .
Civil establishment	6	. .	. .
Settlers	13	5	13
Convicts	178	9	8
Other(b)	3	. .	. .
Total	226	15	21
. . not applicable (a) Excludes details of the Risdon camp. (b) Including one Aboriginal person from Port Jackson.