Why were settlements established in Port Dalrymple and Hobart?

Answer 1

Hobart began as a penal colony at Risdon Cove on the Derwent River in 1803 to offset British concerns over the presence of French explorers. A year later it was moved to its current location at Sullivan's Cove. The name Hobart Town was adopted by the settlement in June 1804. Port Dalrymple was the original name for Launceston, and was established in 1805 as the landing place of Bass and Flinders during their circumnavigation of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). It was first settled in 1804 when Lieutenant Colonel William Paterson and his party set up camp on the site of the current George Town, formally taking possession of Port Dalrymple. Within a few weeks, the settlement was moved across the river to York Town, and the following year the group settled in Launceston.

Answer 2

In 1803, the British Government instructed Lieutenant-Governor David Collins to establish a settlement on the southern coast of Australia. This was largely planned as a deterrent to French settlement. Although Britain had claimed the east coast of Australia under the name of New South Wales, the continent was so vast that the British felt it was necessary to formalise the claims further south to prevent the French gaining a foothold in the Pacific. They had already shown some interest in Van Diemen's Land, but the first concern was to establish a settlement in the mainland's south.

The Port Phillip Bay settlement was not a success, due to lack of fresh water and the fact that the local timber was unsuitable for many uses. Also, the treacherous entrance to Port Phillip Bay made the site unusable as a whaling base. Hearing of better land and timber in Van Diemen's Land, Collins moved most of the settlement across Bass Strait, and established Hobart on the Derwent River early in 1804.