Today in Aussie History

On this day in 1803 the HMS Calcutta and supply ship Ocean left England to establish a new penal colony in Port Phillip. Included in the transport were convicts, free settlers, civil officers and 50 Royal Marines, all led by Colonel David Collins, a former judge advocate in Sydney. They arrived at Port Phillip in October 1803 and settled at Sullivan Bay, near the entrance to the bay.   Ongoing problems, including access to water and timber, meant that the site was abandoned in January 1804 in favour of Van Diemen’s Land.