What can we help you find?

Not sure where to start or need help? Ask a Librarian

Endeavour voyage

Embark on a historical journey with the original journal of Lieutenant James Cook, detailing the HMS Endeavour's voyage from 1768 to 1771. By examining primary sources like Cook's journal and the engraving of his arrival at Botany Bay, students will gain insights into European perspectives and the impact of exploration on Aboriginal communities. Engaging activities will foster critical thinking and empathy as students role-play scenarios involving those who witnessed the Endeavour's arrival, deepening their understanding of this pivotal moment in Australian history.

Module First contacts

Year 4 Humanities

Exploring James Cook’s Endeavour journal

This is the original handwritten journal of Lieutenant James Cook (1728–1779), documenting his voyage aboard HMS Endeavour from 1768 to 1771. Cook’s 753-page journal is filled with observations, from daily shipboard life and weather conditions to detailed descriptions of the lands and peoples he encountered.

View a fully digitised version

A large book open at a midway point. The paper is yellowed and stained. The writing is written in highly decorative cursive. The book is being held open on a stand which sits atop a richly varnished cabinet with draws and a fold out desk surface.

Cook, James, 1728-1779 & Hutchinson, John & Wallis, Samuel, 1728-1795 & Bolckow, Henry William Ferdinand, 1806-1878. (1768). Journal of H.M.S. Endeeavour, 1768-1771 [manuscript], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-228958440

Activity 1: Discussing national treasures

With your students, explore selected pages from the Endeavour journal. You can also watch the video National Treasures Endeavour Journal, where presenter Warren Brown describes the journal as a "treasure.". Discuss with your students:

Do you think Cook’s Endeavour journal is a national treasure? Why or why not?
What are some other items or artifacts you consider Australian national treasures?
What qualities or characteristics make something a national treasure?

Cook’s descriptions and observations

This activity invites students to discuss the tone and perspective of Cook's observations and consider how it might reflect European attitudes of the time.

Activity 2: Reading and reflection

Read this excerpt from Cook’s journal with your students, in which he describes the Aboriginal people he encountered at Botany Bay in May 1770:

"Those I saw were about as tall as Europeans of a very dark colour but not black nor had they wooly or frizzled hair, but black and lank much like ours. No sort of clothing or ornaments were ever seen by any of us upon any one of them or in or about their huts from which I conclude they never wear any."

Discuss with your students the tone and perspective Cook brings to this description. How might this reflect the attitudes of Europeans at the time?

Time and place

This is an engraving by Samuel Calvert of an oil painting which was exhibited at the 1866-1867 Melbourne Intercolonial Exhibition. The original painting, once in the collection of the Royal Society of Victoria, is now lost. The Union Flag depicted in the illustration is an anachronism. It is a flag used after the union with Ireland in 1801, not the flag of 1770. Also, the ceremony being recorded actually took place on Possession Island; the artist seems to have erroneously depicted the scene at Botany Bay.

This illustration from 1865 showing Captain James Cook's arrival in Australia. Cook is depicted with his crew raising the British flag as they take possession of the land on behalf of the British Crown in 1770. Indigenous people are shown in the background observing the scene. Ships are anchored in the bay, while a variety of people, including soldiers and sailors, are engaged in various activities.

Calvert, Samuel & Gilfillan, J. A., Captain Cook taking possession of the Australian continent on behalf of the British crown, AD 1770, under the name of New South Wales, 1865, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135699884

Activity 3: Analysing historical perspectives

Next, share with your students the engraving Captain Cook Taking Possession of the Australian Continent on Behalf of the British Crown AD 1770, published in The Illustrated Sydney News in 1865. The engraving, based on a painting by John Alexander Gilfillan, offers a European perspective on Cook’s arrival in Australia.

Compare Cook’s journal entry with the engraving. How do they both represent the arrival of the British in Australia?

A different perspective

This activity explores Cook’s arrival from an Aboriginal perspective, encouraging students to consider how First Nations people may have viewed this event. Through this lens, students will reflect on differing perspectives and deepen their understanding of this historical encounter.

Activity 4: Role-playing from an Aboriginal perspective

Invite your students to step into the shoes of the Aboriginal people who witnessed Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay. In groups, students will role-play a scenario where Aboriginal men recount to their family what they saw when British naval officers came ashore.

Encourage students to express how the Aboriginal men might have felt witnessing this event for the first time. The family members should ask questions, exploring emotions, curiosity, and concerns.

Page published: 30 Oct 2024

Need help?

Our librarians are here to guide you.

Ask a librarian