The First Fleet arrived in Australia in 1788.
The fleet consisted of 11 British ships carrying convicts, marines, sailors, officials, and their families. It departed Portsmouth on 13 May 1787 under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, beginning a voyage of more than 24,000 kilometres that lasted about 250 days.
Several vessels reached Botany Bay between 18 and 20 January 1788. Phillip judged Botany Bay unsuitable for the permanent settlement and moved north to Port Jackson. On 26 January, the fleet established its camp at Sydney Cove, where the British flag was raised.
That distinction explains a common confusion: 1787 was the departure year, not the arrival year, while 1770 refers to James Cook’s east-coast voyage. The 1788 settlement became the Colony of New South Wales and later supplied the date commemorated by Australia Day.