A Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson by Watkin Tench

Description

A Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson' is a book by Watkin Tench, first published in 1793, though it recounts events spanning from 1788 to late 1791. Tench, a lieutenant in the New South Wales Marine Corps and veteran of the American War of Independence, documented his three‑plus years living in the fledgling penal colony at Port Jackson; today’s Sydney Harbour. In this work, Tench blends military precision with reflective journal-making to chronicle daily life, environmental challenges, agricultural trials, and encounters with the Indigenous peoples – the Gadigal and Cammeraygal. He records both cooperation and tension, at times expressing sympathy towards the Aboriginal inhabitants while never fully acknowledging the deeper colonial implications of land seizure. Highly regarded in its day — and translated into multiple European languages — it remains a foundational firsthand source on early Australian settlement and colonial attitudes.

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