From Captain Cook to the First Fleet: how Botany Bay was chosen over Africa as a new British penal colony
- Written by John Gascoigne, Emeritus Professor, UNSW
'The Founding of Australia 1788', an oil painting by Algernon TalmageMitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
Captain James Cook arrived in the Pacific 250 years ago, triggering British colonisation of the region. We’re asking researchers to reflect on what happened and how it shapes us today. You can see other stories in the series...