The Ships of Early Victoria: Convicts, Settlers, Livestock, and Trade

The history of Victoria is inseparable from the history of ships. For tens of thousands of years before European arrival, Indigenous peoples navigated rivers, lakes, and coastlines using bark canoes and reed rafts, sustaining cultural and trade networks across Country (Clark, 1990; Pascoe, 2014; Gammage, 2011).
From the late 18th century onwards, European ships began appearing in Port Phillip and Western Port, bringing convicts, settlers, livestock, and supplies that transformed the land and displaced its First Peoples.
This article explores the maritime foundations of Victoria—tracing how ships transported convicts and squatters, carried livestock, expanded trade, and reshaped both the landscape and Indigenous sovereignty.

Before Colonisation: Indigenous Watercraft

Victoria’s First Peoples were skilled navigators of rivers, estuaries, and coastlines:

· Bark canoes: Used by the Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung, and Taungurung peoples, crafted from river red gum bark for fishing and transport along the Yarra, Maribyrnong, and Murray Rivers (Howitt, 1904; Smyth, 1878).

· Reed rafts: Constructed by the Gunai/Kurnai in Gippsland for use across lakes and wetlands (Dawson, 1881; Clark, 1990).

· Log canoes: Used by the Gunditjmara people within the Budj Bim aquaculture system, where canoes supported eel fishing and trade networks (McNiven, 2015; UNESCO, 2019).

These vessels embodied deep ecological knowledge and sophisticated engineering, enabling fishing, ceremony, and trade across waterways. The arrival of European sailing ships contrasted starkly with these traditional craft—marking the beginning of colonisation by sea.

The First European Ships in Victoria

Early Exploration

· 1802 – Lady Nelson: Lieutenant John Murray sailed the Lady Nelson into Port Phillip Bay, claiming the land for Britain under instructions from Governor King (Shaw, 1980).

· 1803 – Calcutta and Ocean: The convict transport Calcutta and the supply ship Ocean arrived at Sullivan Bay (near present-day Sorrento) carrying 300 convicts, marines, and officials led by Lieutenant-Colonel David Collins.

· Poor freshwater and food shortages led to the settlement’s abandonment within a year; survivors were relocated to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) (Cannon, 1991; Frost, 1984).

Though short-lived, these voyages marked the first European settlement attempts in Victoria.

The 1830s: Squatters, Sealing, and Whaling

During the 1820s–30s, Victoria’s coasts became increasingly active maritime zones:

· Sealing and whaling ships operated throughout Bass Strait, often engaging in exploitative and violent interactions with Aboriginal communities, including abductions of women and resource conflict (Critchett, 1990; Cumpston, 1964).

· In 1835, John Batman arrived in Port Phillip aboard the Rebecca, claiming to have “purchased” land from the Wurundjeri through his controversial Batman Treaty (Broome, 2005).

· Later that year, John Pascoe Fawkner sailed from Van Diemen’s Land on the Enterprize, anchoring near the Yarra River and establishing the first European settlement that became Melbourne (Presland, 1994).

These ships not only brought settlers but also livestock—sheep and cattle—that would rapidly occupy Indigenous lands.

Ships Carrying Livestock and Supplies

From the 1830s onwards, a steady flow of vessels sustained the expansion of settlement:

· Sheep and cattle were transported from Tasmania aboard brigs such as the Thistle and William the Fourth (Roberts, 1935; Cannon, 1991).

· Horses and working animals were imported by squatters to support agriculture and transport (Clark, 1990).

· Building materials, including timber, bricks, and iron, arrived from Sydney and Britain, while flour, salt, sugar, and tea were imported to feed the growing colony (Serle, 1971).

Ports such as Portland (1834), Geelong (1836), and Melbourne (1836) became major shipping centres for colonial trade and communication.

Convicts and Free Settlers

Although Victoria was not a primary penal colony like New South Wales or Tasmania, convict labour played a background role:

· Early convicts arrived indirectly via Tasmania, such as those aboard the Calcutta (1803) and later reassigned to the Port Phillip District for pastoral labour (Shaw, 1980).

· By the late 1830s, the arrival of free settlers began to dominate.

· The ship David Clark (1839) brought 229 Scottish immigrants under an assisted migration scheme, marking the start of direct migration to Port Phillip (Cannon, 1991; Richards, 2008).

By the early 1840s, hundreds of ships per year were bringing migrants, goods, and livestock—creating rapid demographic and environmental change.

The Gold Rush and Shipping Boom (1851 onwards)

The 1851 discovery of gold transformed Victoria’s maritime world:

· Thousands of immigrant ships arrived from Britain, Ireland, the United States, and China, overwhelming Port Phillip’s docks (Serle, 1971; Broome, 2005).

· Many crews deserted to seek their fortunes on the goldfields, leaving ships abandoned in Hobson’s Bay (Frost, 1984).

· Exports of gold and wool enriched Melbourne, making it one of the busiest and wealthiest ports in the British Empire by the late 1850s (Cannon, 1991).

Shipping infrastructure expanded rapidly—new docks, shipyards, and navigation systems linked Victoria globally to Britain, China, India, and the Pacific.

Impact on Indigenous Communities

The arrival of European ships was catastrophic for Victoria’s First Peoples:

· Disease: Smallpox, influenza, and tuberculosis spread from early maritime contact, devastating populations even before inland colonisation (Flood, 2006; Broome, 2005).

· Environmental disruption: Livestock trampled murnong (yam daisy) fields and eroded waterways; shipping and trade networks displaced communities from key coastal and riverine sites (Gammage, 2011; Clarke, 1990).

· Abduction and violence: Sealers and whalers often kidnapped Aboriginal women, particularly from Bass Strait and the Western District, contributing to social collapse (Critchett, 1990; Cumpston, 1964).

· Loss of sovereignty: Each ship symbolised expansion, introducing settlers, surveyors, and missionaries who imposed foreign systems of ownership and law.

For Indigenous peoples, ships were both literal and symbolic vessels of invasion—bringing disease, dispossession, and dislocation from Country.

Global Connections

Ships tied Victoria into the global currents of empire and industry:

· Exports: Wool, tallow, timber, and gold flowed from Victoria to Britain’s textile and manufacturing industries.

· Imports: Manufactured goods, tools, fabric, and luxury items arrived from London, Liverpool, and Calcutta.

· Cultural exchange: Ships carried migrants from Scotland, Ireland, Germany, China, and the Pacific Islands, transforming Victoria’s social and cultural landscape (Richards, 2008; Fitzgerald, 2007).

Maritime Victoria became a vital link in Britain’s global economic chain—an outpost of industrial capitalism built on the displacement of Indigenous custodians.

Conclusion

The ships of early Victoria carried convicts, settlers, livestock, and trade goods that forged the colony’s economic foundations. From the Calcutta and Ocean in 1803 to the Enterprize in 1835 and the flood of gold rush immigrant vessels, ships were engines of transformation.
Yet they also carried the mechanisms of colonisation—disease, livestock, and settlers who overran Country.
For the Indigenous peoples of Victoria, these ships marked the beginning of an invasion that brought profound loss, but also enduring resilience.
Today, acknowledging this maritime history means recognising not only the ships that built a colony, but also the cultural and environmental worlds they destroyed.

Reference List

· Broome, R. (2005). Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

· Cannon, M. (1991). Old Melbourne Town: Before the Gold Rush. Main Ridge: Loch Haven Books.

· Clark, I. D. (1990). Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An Historical Atlas of Western and Central Victoria, 1800–1900. Melbourne: Monash Publications in Geography.

· Clark, I. D. (1995). Scars in the Landscape: A Register of Massacre Sites in Western Victoria 1803–1859. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.

· Critchett, J. (1990). A Distant Field of Murder: Western District Frontiers, 1834–1848. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

· Cumpston, J. S. (1964). Macquarie’s Lady Nelson. Canberra: Roebuck Society.

· Dawson, J. (1881). Australian Aborigines: The Languages and Customs of Several Tribes of Aborigines in the Western District of Victoria. Melbourne: George Robertson.

· Fitzgerald, J. (2007). Big White Lie: Chinese Australians in White Australia. Sydney: UNSW Press.

· Flood, J. (2006). The Original Australians: Story of the Aboriginal People. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.

· Frost, A. (1984). The First Fleet: The Real Story. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

· Gammage, B. (2011). The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

· Howitt, A. W. (1904). The Native Tribes of South-East Australia. London: Macmillan.

· McNiven, I. (2015). The Archaeology of Maritime Society in Southeastern Australia. Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 10(3): 243–265.

· Pascoe, B. (2014). Dark Emu: Aboriginal Australia and the Birth of Agriculture. Broome: Magabala Books.

· Presland, G. (1994). Aboriginal Melbourne: The Lost Land of the Kulin People. Melbourne: Harriland Press.

· Richards, E. (2008). Destination Australia: Migration to Australia since 1901. Sydney: UNSW Press.

· Roberts, S. H. (1935). The Squatting Age in Australia 1835–1847. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

· Serle, G. (1971). The Golden Age: A History of the Colony of Victoria, 1851–1861. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

· Shaw, A. G. L. (1980). A History of the Port Phillip District: Victoria Before Separation. Melbourne: MUP.

· Smyth, R. B. (1878). The Aborigines of Victoria. Melbourne: Government Printer.

· UNESCO. (2019). Budj Bim Cultural Landscape. Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1577

Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter 16/09/2025

Magic Lands Alliance

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Magic Lands Alliance acknowledge the Traditional Owners, Custodians, and First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. We honour their enduring connection to the sky, land, waters, language, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to all First Peoples communities and language groups. This article draws only on publicly available information; many cultural practices remain the intellectual property of communities.