The annual debate surrounding January 26th continues to divide Australia, with many celebrating it as Australia Day while others commemorate it as Invasion Day. Historians emphasise that understanding the nuanced historical facts of this date is crucial for informed discussion about how the nation should acknowledge its complex past.
The Peaceful Arrival at Sydney Cove
When the First Fleet sailed from England in May 1787 under Captain Arthur Phillip's command, explicit instructions accompanied their mission to establish a penal colony in New South Wales. These orders specifically stated that upon arrival, no Indigenous people were to be harmed, and friendly relations should be established with the land's existing inhabitants.
The fleet consisted of eleven relatively small vessels, each comparable in size to a modern Manly ferry, carrying approximately 1,400 men, women, and children. After initial landings at Botany Bay between January 18th and 20th, 1788, Phillip explored further north and discovered Port Jackson, which he famously described as "the finest harbour in the world."
The January 26th Landing
On January 26, 1788, the First Fleet moved to Port Jackson, landing at what Phillip named Sydney Cove after Lord Sydney, the British Home Secretary. Historical records indicate that only Phillip and several officers and marines from the naval vessel Supply initially went ashore, with the remainder watching from the water.
According to the NSW Migration Heritage Centre, local Aboriginal people met the fleet in what has been described as an "uneasy stand-off" at Frenchmans Beach in La Perouse. Crucially, no shots were fired during this initial encounter, and no physical violence occurred between the British arrivals and the Eora people who had occupied the land for approximately 60,000 years.
The British flag was planted in a short ceremony, and formal possession was declared. The other ten ships of the fleet arrived later that same day, with no armed conflict occurring during these initial interactions.
The Legal and Historical Context
Captain Arthur Phillip had been empowered under British law by King George III to establish a colony in territory that, while occupied by Aboriginal people for millennia, was not legally recognised as a sovereign nation under contemporary European understanding. Phillip's specific instructions directed him to "conciliate their affections" and to "live in amity and kindness with them," while punishing anyone who would "wantonly destroy them or give them any unnecessary interruption."
Historian Grace Karskens, writing in the Dictionary of Sydney, notes that "Phillip and the officers were genuinely committed to establishing and maintaining friendly and peaceful relations." She describes early meetings in Botany Bay and Port Jackson as "often marked by friendliness, curiosity, gift-giving and dancing together on the beaches."
The Settlement Versus Invasion Debate
The distinction between whether Australia was "settled" or "invaded" forms the heart of contemporary debates about January 26th. This legal distinction proved significant in the landmark 1992 Mabo decision, which granted native title to Indigenous Australians based on the premise that the country had been settled rather than invaded.
In that ruling, the High Court rejected the "terra nullius" doctrine—the notion that the land belonged to no one—without overturning the view that the continent had been settled. This legal technicality continues to influence discussions about sovereignty, land rights, and historical acknowledgment.
Beyond the Initial Encounter
While the January 26th landing itself occurred without violence, Professor Karskens notes that the Eora immediately faced "an alarming influx of strangers on their lands and waterways." Phillip forbade anyone from shooting or harming Eora people, with convicts facing severe punishment for violations.
However, this prohibition did not extend equally to all. Karskens observes that "officers and other military did shoot at Aboriginal people—they did, usually with small shot—usually because warriors were throwing spears and stones at them." The first documented fatal shooting might not have occurred until September 1789, when Henry Hacking fired into a group of Aboriginal people hunting on the North Shore.
The Legacy of Two Centuries
As the colony expanded in subsequent years, violence escalated dramatically. More land was taken, and devastating massacres occurred across the continent over the following two centuries. These atrocities—including systematic human rights abuses, discrimination, and violence—form a central part of the argument for changing the date of Australia Day.
Professor Karskens emphasises the distinction between the initial encounter and what followed: "It is also very different from the frontier violence that dominated pastoral expansion in Australia well into the twentieth century. In that sense it was enlightened and humane."
She describes the arrival of the First Fleet and establishment of a small camp at Sydney Cove as momentous primarily because "it marked the origins of a great city," while noting that at the time, "it was just a tiny pinprick on the edge of a vast and ancient Aboriginal continent—it made barely a ripple at first."
Contemporary Implications
The complex historical reality of January 26, 1788, presents Australians with a multifaceted legacy. While the initial landing occurred without violence, the subsequent 236 years witnessed terrible injustices against Aboriginal people that many believe should be the primary focus of any anniversary marking European arrival.
This tension between the peaceful beginnings and violent aftermath continues to fuel national debate about reconciliation, historical acknowledgment, and how Australia should commemorate its complex foundation story. The question remains whether the nation can honour both the peaceful intentions of the initial instructions and acknowledge the devastating consequences that followed in the centuries after that first Australia Day.
