Warrane (Sydney Cove)

Warrane (Sydney Cove)

Invasion I: an oil painting on Belgian linen stretched on frame. It depicts the arrival of a boat of redcoat soldiers at Port Jackson from an Aboriginal perspective. Museum of Sydney Collection, Sydney Living Museums. © Gordon Syron

For the Gadigal clan, Warrane was etched with meaning, interconnected by ceremony and song, and was far from deserted. The arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 was an event that had a devastating effect on Aboriginal society. Today, Aboriginal people have a very different view of the significance of the arrival of convicts in Sydney in 1788.

This content was compiled for the Convict Sydney website from existing information such as SLM exhibition text and other researched material © Sydney Living Museums, 2017.