First Fleet of South Australia

In 1836, at least nine ships carried the first European settlers from England to the south coast of Australia for the establishment of the City of Adelaide and the province of South Australia. Although not all of the ships sailed together, they have been referred to as the "First Fleet of South Australia" since all were carrying the first immigrants, including the founding planners and administrators of the new settlement, all of whom were represented at the proclamation of the new province.

People

After a historic meeting at Exeter Hall on 30 June 1834, where the principles, objects, plan and prospects of the new Colony of South Australia were explained to the public, hundreds of enquiries from prospective immigrants started to arrive at the South Australian Association's headquarters in London.

The ships that sailed in 1836 would carry prospective emigrants as well as staff employed by the South Australian Company, a private business enterprise, and various appointees of the British Government to set up the new British Province of South Australia. Under the emigration scheme, labouring classes received free passage. They had to be between 15 and 30 years of age, preferably married, and needed two references. Steerage passengers paid £15-20, middle berth £35-40, and cabin class £70. Children under 14 years were charged £3 while those under 1 year were free.

Ships

In January 1836 four ships sailed from England on behalf of the South Australian Company, ahead of the planned expedition by the South Australian Colonization Commission, the board set up under the South Australia Act 1834. They developed a settlement at Kingscote on Kangaroo Island, in July 1836, but when farming proved unviable, both the settlement and the Company's operations were moved to the mainland.

Four of the ships were sent by the South Australian Company, three were chartered by the Colonization Commission, and the other two were chartered privately. The ships began sailing from England in 1836 from January until about June, and arrived on the South Australian coast (all but one initially landing on Kangaroo Island) from July to December that year, with the new province proclaimed on 28 December at Glenelg.

It is difficult for scholars to arrive at a definitive list of pioneer ships given the lack of extant primary evidence due to poor record keeping and accidental loss of records. The following list is based on the best available records, ordered chronologically by date of arrival in South Australia.

Ship	Type and burthen (bm)	Master	Departure date (1836)	Nepean Bay arrival date (1836)	Holdfast Bay arrival date (1836)
Duke of York 37 passengers	Barque,* 197 tons	Robert C. Morgan	24 February	27 July*
	Known passengers: T. Hudson Beare and four children Lucy Ann Beare (died on K.I.) Charlotte Hudson Beare G. Massing Israel Mazey Thomas Mitchell John Neale Charles B. Powell Robert Russell D. H. Schreyvogel Samuel Stephens William West
Lady Mary Pelham 29 passengers	Barque,* 206 tons	Robert Ross	7 April	28 July
	Known passengers: Cornelius Birdseye Mrs Birdseye
John Pirie 28 passengers	Schooner	George Martin	22 February	16 August
	Known passengers: Henry Alford Charles Chandler Mrs Martin Charles Powell Mrs Powell James Powell Mary Ann Powell Henry Simpson
Rapid 24 passengers	Brig,* 162 tons	Col. William Light		2 August
	Known passengers: Alfred Barker William Bell William Bradley Mrs Bradley Robert Buck, sen. Robert Bruce Buck William Chatfield Joseph Childs William Clampton John Duncan William G. Field, R.N. William Freemantle Edward Gandy Maria Gandy (William Light's partner) William Gandy Thomas Gepp George Goddard Robert Goddard Robert Keate Hill William Hodges William Jacob William Lawes James Lewis George Mildred Hiram T. Mildred George Penton William S. Pullen John Frank Thorn John Thorpe William Tuckey John Woodforde
Cygnet 84 passengers	Barque	John Rolls		11 September	5 November
	Known passengers: E. Adams James Adams Mrs Adams William Adams Mrs Adams John Afford John Avery Thomas Bell Mrs Bell John Brinnan Robert Bristow Mrs Bristow Selby Brown John Cannon Samuel Chapman Mrs Chapman John Corney David Divine Joseph Finch B. T. Finniss Mrs Finniss George Friend Thomas Gilbert John Goodman William Green Mrs Green Alfred Hardy E. Harrington A. Heath James Hoare Mrs Hoare G. S. Kingston W. H. Kingston John Levey Berry Lipson T. Lipson, R.N. Mrs Lipson Emma Lipson Eliza Lipson Mary Lipson John Locket James Marshall Mrs Marshall John Morphett William H. Neale Mrs Neale Henry Osborn J. Osborn Stephen Paris Mrs Paris Charles Parrington Edmund Parsons Thomas Powis Hugh Quin Thomas W. Rogers Basil Sladden Isaac Sladden Smythett Sladden James Butler Stone James Stubbington Richard G. Symonds William Teasdale Robert G. Thomas William S. Williams Charles Wright Dr. Edward Wright Mrs Wright
Emma 22 passengers	Barque	John F. Nelson		5 October
	Known passengers: John Bennett John Cranfield Mrs Cranfield Henry Douglas Charles S. Hare Mrs Hare William Wilkins Mrs Wilkins
Africaine 76 passengers	Barque,* 346 tons	John F. Duff	28 June	2 November	8 November
	Known passengers: John Demmett Bagg John Brown Mrs Brown Henry Bushell Mrs Bushell Jeremiah Calnan Mrs Calnan Margaret Clarke James Coltman Mrs Coltman Daniel Cox James Cronk Samuel East Mrs East Dr. C. G. Everard Mrs Everard William Everard Robert Fisher Arthur Gliddon Robert Gouger Mrs Gouger John Hallett Mrs Hallett Henry Hill Joseph A. Hill Andrew Jacobs Mary Lillywhite James Masters Mrs Masters Charles Nantes E. W. Osborne (died on K.I.) George Parsell Mary Parsell John E. Pollard Maria Pollard John Michael Skipper Dr. John Slater (died on K.I.) Benjamin Smith Matthew Smith Mary Smith John Snoswell Mrs Snoswell Robert Thomas Mrs Thomas W. Kyffin Thomas Frances Thomas Mary Thomas Helen Thomas Mary Vincent Benjamin Wickham William Williams James Windebank Alfred Young
Tam O'Shanter 74 passengers	Barque	Whiteman Freeman		30 November	17 December
	Known passengers: Thomas Allen Mrs Allen William Bailes John Barnard Robert Botting Henry Briggs Walter Bromley Maria Catchlove Jane Catchlove Edward Catchlove, sen. Catchlove, jun. John Clarke Thomas Clarke William Finke Charles Forbes Mrs Forbes William Fouke George Freeth Henry Gilbert George Guthrie William Hardington Alfred Jaques William Jaques Philip Lee Mrs Lee Thomas Maslin Thomas Masters Henry Moseley William Moseley William Nation William Phillips Mrs Phillips Clara Rogers Fanny Rogers Josiah Rogers Mary F. Rogers Robert A. Rogers Mrs Thomas W. Rogers Robert Ross Robert Seaborne Mrs Seaborne Thomas William Skuce John Stuckey Mrs Stuckey Edward Surflen George White John White Alexander Woods Mrs Woods
Buffalo (1813) 174 passengers	Barque	John Hindmarsh		24 December (Port Lincoln)	28 December
	Known passengers: Giles Abbott, jun. Giles Abbott, sen. Mrs Abbott John Abbott John William Adams Mrs Adams Frederick W. Allen Cornelius Bean Jonathan Bean James Bennett Mrs Bennett Emily Blundell Isaac Breaker Jane Maria Breaker Luke Broadbent Mrs Broadbent Samuel Chapman Joseph Chegwyn James Chittleborough Mrs Chittleborough Robert Cock Mrs Cock James Cock William Coulthard Mrs Coulthard William Croxall Mrs Croxall William Ferguson Mrs Ferguson Charles Brown Fisher Mrs Elizabeth Fisher Elizabeth "Bessey" Fisher James Fisher James Hurtle Fisher Marianne Fisher Robert Fox W. Henry Giles Osmond Gilles James Harvey Richard Harvey Mrs Harvey Henry Greig Hewett John Hill William Hill John Hindmarsh Mrs Hindmarsh Susan Hindmarsh Jane Hindmarsh Mary Hindmarsh Rev. Charles B. Howard Mrs Howard Young B. Hutchinson William Irvin James Jackson Henry Jickling R.N. Warwick Langley Philip Leigh Arthur F. Lindsay William Malcolm Joseph Middleton Mrs Middleton John Monck William Moore Henry T. Morris Richard Neville Thomas Norris Mrs Norris Josiah Oakley Samuel Oakley, jnr Samuel Oakley Mrs Oakley Thomas Oakley George Ormsby Kate Oxenham Eliza Oxenham Richard Pike Mrs Pike Frank Potts Jacob Prowse Mrs Prowse Philip M. Richards George Roberts Mrs Roberts Isabella Sladden John Sladden Mrs J. Sladden Richard Sladden Mrs R. Sladden G. Stevenson Mrs Stevenson Giles E. Strangways T. Bewes Strangways Stubbing Robert Walker Mrs Walker William Walker Wheatley

See also

• British colonisation of South Australia
• History of South Australia
• South Australian Company

Further reading

Passenger lists

• Cummings, Diane. "Bound for South Australia: Passenger lists 1836-1851". State Library of South Australia. Virtually every passenger list for the 3000 overseas and local ships that came to South Australia between 1836-1851, plus a host of additional information (individual names, ages, occupations, etc).
• Ing, Heidi (2020). South Australia's First Expedition: three generations of settler-colonial social mobility (PhD). Flinders University. PDF This thesis lists all passengers of six ships (it excludes Africaine, Buffalo and Tam O' Shanter), including occupations, and examines their and their descendants' social mobility after arrival.
• Leadbeater, Barry. "South Australian Shipping & Immigration: Passenger Lists". FamilyHistory.
• "Passenger lists". Bound for South Australia. Links to the lists for 6 ships (excluding Africaine, Buffalo and Tam O' Shanter).
• "Proclamation day in 1836. The First Fleet". Adelaide Observer. Vol. LIII, no. 2, 882. 26 December 1896. p. 1 (Illustrated Supplement) – via National Library of Australia. Lists all passengers and crew on all ships.
• "Tam O'Shanter passenger list". Bound for South Australia.

Other

• "Early History on K I". The Kangaroo Island Courier. Vol. XIX, no. 40. South Australia. 9 October 1926. p. 2 – via National Library of Australia. Article about a booklet entitled Kangaroo Island. The tragedy of Dr. Slater and Mr Osborne, by Dr. A. A. Lendon, which was published in the Kangaroo Island Courier in parts from December 1926 to January 1927. Reproduced in full here by the Kangaroo Island Pioneers Association.