On this day in 1800 William Balmain recieved a land grant of 550 acres on the east side of Cockle Bay, an area which was to become the suburbs of Balmain and Rozelle. Balmain was an Assistant Surgeon on the First Fleet and continued working as a surgeon in the Colony until 1802 when he returned to England. He died in the following year.
From the NSW State Archives
On this day in 1788 the French explorer La Perouse arrived at Botany Bay. Jean-Francois de Galaup, comte de Laperouse entered Sydney Harbour only days after the First Fleet had arrived and settled on the northern shore of Botany Bay (now named after him) for his six week visit. La Perouse sailed from Sydney in March and his fleet was wrecked in the Solomon Islands soon after.
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