The township of Kurnell, on the shores of Botany Bay in the Sutherland Shire, is considered to be ‘the birthplace of modern Australia’.
It is the place where Captain James Cook landed on 29 April 1770, from the barque Endeavour, making the first Eureopean contact with Eastern Australia.
A Lieutenant at the time, Cook landed with his crew and stayed eight days. During the visit they collected botanical specimens, mapped the area and then reported back to England that the land was suitable for agriculture and lightly wooded.
The historic visit was the prelude to the arrival of Captain Arthur Phillip arriving in Australia with the First Fleet 18 years later on 18 January 1788.
The original inhabitants of Kurnell were the Gweagal people who were hunter gatherers and fishers of the shores of Kamay – now known as Botany Bay.
Each year the arrival of James Cook is commemorated by Sutherland Shire Council at Kurnell and the occasion is marked as a meeting of two cultures with a ceremony at the location where Cook and his crew landed.
In the year 2020 the 250th anniversary of his landing will be commemorated and community discussions are underway to shape the celebration.
