1789 (dated)
1 : 21120
Description
This is John Hunter s 1789 nautical map of Port Jackson, New South Wales, the first European printed chart of the waters around Sydney Harbor. Hunter surveyed the area as commander of
H.M.S. Sirius, flagship of the First Fleet under New South Wales first Governor, Arthur Phillip. (Hunter himself would become the second Governor.) Hunter s 1788 manuscript survives in the State Library of New South Wales.
A Superb First ChartThe chart is richly detailed, with abundant soundings, sailing directions, notes with respect to the tides, and especially the location of freshwater streams. The coastlines are shown pictorially, distinguishing between the cliffs facing the ocean and the sandy inward-facing coves. Coves and streams are named, but no settlements are marked - as these had not yet been established. Hunter s survey includes soundings as far as Iron Cove, Five Dock Bay, and Hen and Chicken Bay on the Parramatta River. This