when did the first fleet arrive in australia

The First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay, Australia, on 18 January 1788, and then moved and formally arrived at Sydney Cove (Port Jackson) on 26 January 1788.

Quick Scoop

• The First Fleet was a group of 11 British ships carrying convicts, marines, and officials to establish a penal colony in New South Wales.

• They left Portsmouth, England, on 13 May 1787 and sailed for more than eight months before reaching Australian waters.

• Landfall at Botany Bay occurred on 18 January 1788, but the site was judged unsuitable due to issues like poor soil and limited fresh water.

• Governor Arthur Phillip then moved the fleet north to Port Jackson, anchoring at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788, a date now marked as Australia Day and often cited as the arrival of the First Fleet in Australia.

In many school textbooks and quizzes, when people ask “When did the First Fleet arrive in Australia?”, the expected answer is 26 January 1788, because that marks the start of the settlement at Sydney Cove, even though the ships first reached Botany Bay on 18 January.

SEO-style notes

• Focus phrase: when did the first fleet arrive in australia – commonly answered as 26 January 1788 (Sydney Cove), with the nuance that Botany Bay was reached on 18 January 1788.

• Meta-style summary: The First Fleet reached Botany Bay on 18 January 1788, then shifted to Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, arriving there on 26 January 1788, the date now commemorated as Australia Day.

TL;DR:
First landfall near Sydney: 18 January 1788 at Botany Bay; official arrival and settlement: 26 January 1788 at Sydney Cove, Port Jackson.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.