What was Botany Bay named after?

Botany Bay an inlet of the Tasman Sea in New South Wales, Australia, just south of Sydney, which was the site of Captain James Cook's landing in 1770 and of an early British penal settlement. It was named by Cook after the large variety of plants collected there by his companion, Sir Joseph Banks. read more

On 29 April 1770, Botany Bay was the site of James Cook's first landing of HMS Endeavour on the land mass of Australia, after his extensive navigation of New Zealand. Later the British planned Botany Bay as the site for a penal colony. Out of these plans came the first European habitation of Australia at Sydney Cove. read more

The name ‘Botany Bay’ was given to our area by Captain James Cook who named the Bay after the quantity and quality of botanical specimens collected by Sir Joseph Banks. Banks collected and identified 1,300 new species, and some 80 species of plants now bear his name. read more