Previous ed.: Sydney : Angus & Robertson, 1980. Includes index. What better way to know the experiences of Sydney's first year than through the diaries, letters and ships' logs of the colonists? In this classic account of the early days of British settlement in Australia, John Cobley brings together the words of Surgeons John White and Arthur Bowes, Lieutenant Philip Gidley King, Watkin Tench and others. Those who joined the First Fleet willingly and those who had no choice in the matter - all have their say here. These first hand records create a vivid picture of everyday life in the colony, illuminated by the paintings of the early settlers.