Sydney was the Australian city established at the site of the first British penal colony. The settlement was founded at Sydney Cove in Port Jackson in January 1788 by the First Fleet, commanded by Governor Arthur Phillip.
The fleet carried more than 1,000 people, including convicts, marines, sailors, and officials. Britain chose the settlement partly because it needed a new destination for transported prisoners after losing access to its American colonies following the American Revolution.
The fleet first reached Botany Bay on 18 January 1788, but Phillip judged it unsuitable for the main settlement. He explored Port Jackson and selected Sydney Cove, where the colony was formally established. The Union Jack was raised there on 26 January, now commemorated as Australia Day.
The colony was called New South Wales, while Sydney grew around its first settlement site. Perth, Brisbane, and Melbourne were founded later and were not the location of the first British penal colony in Australia.