What food did people on the First fleet eat when they came to Australia?

Answer 1

The food eaten by convicts was a portion of that allotted to the marines and seamen, who were to be given the following rations:

• seven pounds of bread a week
• four pounds of salted beef
• two pounds of salted pork
• two pints of peas
• three pints of oatmeal
• six ounces of butter
• three-quarters of a pound of cheese
• half a pint of vinegar
• three and a half pints of rum
• a pound of fresh bread or, when that ran out, a long-lasting "hardtack" bread made from barley

An undetermined amount of rice was included, as well as some of the fruits and vegetables purchased at each stop along the way, depending on its availability.

The convicts were allotted three-quarters of that amount of rations, except for the alcohol, of which they were given none. In reality, when provisions ran low, everyone was on reduced rations, while just after stocking up at one of the stops enroute, everyone ate much better for awhile.

Answer 2

When the people on the First Fleet arrived in Australia, they had only what they had brought from England or purchased along the way. Australia's early settlers brought various grains from England to grow in New South Wales, but many of these did not succeed because they were unsuitable for Australia's conditions. Some grains and almost all the livestock had been purchased in South Africa and South America on the way over, so there was some fresh meat. The kangaroo was quickly seen as a source of food, though their erratic hopping motion made them a little difficult to hunt at first, and the flavour was strong and "gamey".

There were wild ducks and pigeons, and the oceans and rivers were full of fish and eels similar to what the settlers were used to in Europe.

Grains were vital in the early colony, and flour was a staple item which was used to make a simple bread known as damper. Until the colony produced its first successful barley crop, the colony was in real danger of starvation.

Answer 3

Once the convicts reached Australia, they were fed much the same foods as they were given on the First Fleet. They still initially had access to salted beef and pork which had been brought from England, and stock animals which had been purchased from Cape Town could be bred for meat. There were grains such as flour and barley, which could be made into bread, and because there were dairy cows, this meant there was also access to cheese and butter.

Work quickly commenced on trying to grow food for the colony, but in the early years, crops struggled because of the unfamiliar climate and the fact that British seed either had not survived the voyage or just couldn't grow in Australia's harsher conditions. There were no further ships until the Second Fleet, which only brought enough for the convicts of the fleet, and a supply ship from South Africa was wrecked, meaning those much-needed supplies were lost. It was not until the Third Fleet in 1791 that extra supplies were brought, and by then the crops in Australia were also sufficiently established to start feeding the people (including the convicts) properly.

Answer 4

Salt beef and bread.