1791 in Australia

[edit] Leaders

Watercolour painting of the Governor's House at Port Jackson in 1791

February 22 - The first land grant in Australia is made to ex-convict James Ruse.
March - Philip Gidley King returns to Norfolk Island from Britain and resumes command from Robert Ross.
August 1 - The Third Fleet begins to arrive with convicts and supplies.
September 29 - The West Coast of Australia is claimed by British Commander George Vancouver, previously only the east coast had been claimed for the Crown.
October - The last ship of the Third Fleet arrives, with Captain William Paterson of the New South Wales Corps onboard.
October 24 - HMS Britannia and HMS William Ann set out on Australia's first whaling expedition.
November 1 - A party of twenty-one convicts escape from Port Jackson and (with an obviously limited knowledge of Australian geography) attempt to walk to China. Some die in the wilderness, while others are recaptured.
December - Ross returns to Port Jackson from Norfolk Island. His marines, having been displaced by the newly arrived New South Wales Corps, are frequently drunk and rowdy. On December 17, Ross and most of the marines returned to England on HMS Gorgon.