Collins arrives at the Derwent River on February 16, 1804, aboard HMS Calcutta, with Ocean as a supply vessel, immediately taking command from the young Lieutenant Bowen by virtue of rank (Collins is a colonel).

The settlement that Bowen had established at Risdon Cove is vulnerable to changing tides and poor water supply and does not impress Collins.

After three trips across the Derwent River to view possible alternatives, he decides to relocate the settlement five miles (eight kilometers) down river, on the opposite shore.

They land at Sullivans Cove on February 21, 1804, and create the settlement that is to become Hobart, making it the second oldest established colony in Australia.