Endeavour continues northwards along the coastline, keeping…
April 1770 CE
Endeavour continues northwards along the coastline, keeping the land in sight with Cook charting and naming landmarks as he travels.
A little over a week later, the explorers come across an extensive but shallow inlet, and upon entering it moor off a low headland fronted by sand dunes.
Cook and crew make their first landing on the continent, at a place now known as Botany Bay, on the Kurnell Peninsula, and make contact of a hostile nature with the Gweagal Aborigines, on April 29.
As the ships sail into the harbor, they notice Aborigines on both of the headlands.
At about 2 PM, they put the anchor down near a group of six to eight huts.
Two Aborigines, a younger and an older man, come down to the boat.
They ignore gifts from Cook.
A musket is fired over their heads, which wounds the older man slightly, and he runs towards the huts.
He comes back with other men and throws spears at Cook's men, although they do no harm.
They are chased off after two more rounds are fired.
The adults had left, but Cook finds several Aboriginal children in the huts, and leaves some beads with them as a gesture of friendship.