Discovering new things

Everyone from the First Fleet was discovering the unique plants and animals of NSW. There is not a first-hand record that does not mention new discoveries!

Read Surgeon Arthur Bowes Smyth’s words in 1788:

…the different Animals we saw, were Kangaroos,…a very large Species of Lizard, Dogs, Rats, Raccoons, flying Squirrels -- very large Snakes -- a Bird of a new genus, as large & high as an Ostrich -- Many species of Cockatoos, Parrotts, Loury & Louryquets, Eagles, Hawks, (Rooks & wild fowl of many sorts vizt. Duck, Teal, Widgeon &ca.)

Imagine arriving in a place you have never been before. It would be amazing to view all the new creatures and landscapes. Those on the First Fleet experienced just that. They saw things that were so different from their home in Britain. They used familiar words to describe these new animals. Notice that some animals were described as ‘raccoon’, ‘squirrel’ and ‘ostrich’ although we don’t have those animals in Australia.

There are quite a few mentions of insects in the diaries of the colonists. Look at these insect paintings created in the 1790s.

Read the following observations about new discoveries.

Surgeon George Worgan observed:

Musquitos, Sand Flies, Red and Black Ants: Here are Spiders of various kinds, Butterflies, and several sorts of Beetles, and some few Bees have been seen

Surgeon Arthur Bowes Smyth wrote:

There are… great quantities of Ants of 8 or 10 different species & many flies & Musquito's. 

Captain John Hunter noticed the flora too:

Insects there are as great a Variety here as of other Creatures, the Scorpion, Centipede, Spider, Ants & many others, plus The Vast Variety of beautiful plants or flowers.

Surgeon Arthur Bowes Smyth said:

I collected many natural Curiosities.

Captain David Collins noticed:

The convicts were every where straggling about, collecting animals…to sell to the people of the transports… the practice was carried on secretly.

Answer these questions:

• Can you collect natural specimens without permission?
• What do you collect?

Some convicts, like John McIntyre, collected specimens and Aboriginal tools for the officers, officials and even sailors who sent them to England for curious wealthy collectors.

Answer this question:

• How do you think Aboriginal people felt about the theft of their tools?

Investigate what’s in your playground.  Go for a walk and look carefully. Take your time and move slowly but don’t touch! Take photos, make a list of what you see, record your findings. Sketch or paint them like a botanical artist.

Discovering new animals was very exciting but it must have been quite challenging to record all that they saw. Imagine you are an artist in 1790 and this fish has just been caught. Observe the painting of the fish with the yellow tail below. Draw and colour the fish with all of its details. Label and sign it.

Now look at this fish painting, below, VERY QUICKLY, then look away. Imagine you are close to the harbour but you only caught a glimpse of it in the water. Record what you can remember. Do your best effort from memory. Draw and colour this fish. Label and sign it.

Display your work and discuss.

Answer these questions:

• Did anyone get the details right?
• Discuss how hard it was to record new findings when the subject moved away.

Australian animals have always fascinated visitors to our shores. It was no different for the officials, officers, soldiers and sailors of the First Fleet who were recording it all.

The Kangaroo has always been one of Australia’s most popular animals. The people on the First Fleet assumed that all Aboriginal people in Australia spoke the same language, and thought that the animal that Cook and his crew had learned in Queensland in 1770 was called a ‘kangaroo’ there, would be called the same thing in Sydney. (The local name was actually ‘badagarang’.)  Take a look at some of the creative spellings of the word they came up with as they described their surroundings.

Sailor Jacob Nagle - Kangooroo

Captain Watkin Tench - Kanguroo

Surgeon John White - Kangarou

and Lieutenant Ralph Clark - Kankeroos - the most Exstradinory animal.

There are hundreds of Aboriginal languages on our continent and listed below are a few different words for ‘kangaroo’ from different parts of Australia. They’re taken from a word list created by Edward Micklethwaite Curr in 1884.

Wollombaron (from the Hawkesbury River area of NSW)

Yungar (from the Albany area of WA)

Oora (from the Charters Towers area of QLD)

Koorengi (from the Swan Hill area of VIC)

Aringa (from the Alice Springs area of NT)

Chookaroo (from the Lake Hope area of SA)

Research the Aboriginal word for ‘kangaroo’ in your area using Edward Micklethwaite Curr’s Aboriginal word list here. Look at pages 10 and 11 for the ‘kangaroo’ column in the word list.

Answer this question:

• What is the Aboriginal language in your school’s location?

Analyse the kangaroo paintings below, painted in our early colonial era.

Answer this question:

• Did the artists get the details correct? Something is not quite right, what is it?
• Why did that happen? [Answer in Additional Information. ]