The Paradox of Botany Bay

The first fleet in 1788 sailed into Botany Bay, prepared to form a colony on its shores. The site of Botany Bay had been chosen principally as a result of the advice and enthusiasm of Joseph Banks. He talked of rich soil, capable of producing any kind of grain, and said that the land could be cultivated without having to cut down a single tree, while Cook himself wrote of "fine meadows". Phillip was disappointed wiht both the soil and the vegetation, and feared that the country would not support a colony. How could there be such discrepancies of opinion ! Could Banks, the son of a farmer, have been so wrong about the potential of the area? Admirers of Joseph Banks have always been embarrassed by this episode. There is a simple explanation however. Australia is a country with a climate of great contrasts. The lush green grass and rich vegetation that grows during wet weather dries up during the hot summer, leaving a dry forbidding country. Cook and Banks were in Botany Bay at the end of April. Phillip carne in January. In later years most of Sydney's vegetables were grown on the northern and western shores of Botany Bay. Throughout the early history of Australia, the seasons have influenced explorer's reports. Dampier's poor opinion of Australia is well known. His visit was in January and February. In 1817, it was during a dry season that Oxley travelled through country that later became some of Australia's richest posture land. He branded it as uninhabitable and useless for all the purposes of civilised man. Mitchell however, crossed the western district of Victoria between March and September when the grass was green. In his enthusiasm he called in "Australia Felix".

Irvine Green. A.I.A.P. writing in 1970 04 DTHS Newsletter