Black skies and raging seas: how the First Fleet got a first taste of Australia's unforgiving climate
- Written by Joelle Gergis, ARC DECRA Climate Research Fellow, School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne
The British First Fleet knew little of conditions in Port Jackson, later Sydney Cove, before their arrival.George Edwards Peacock, State Library of New South Wales.
The women screamed as the huge waves crashed loudly on the wooden deck. Horrified, they watched the foaming torrent wash away their blankets. Many dropped to their knees, praying for...