The soils of Sydney were unsuitable for farming; this caused long lasting food shortages, which lead to near starvation throughout the 1790's. Because of this problem Food supplies came mainly from Norfolk Island, nearly 1,600 km away .
The settlement grew and is now the site Sydney, Australia's biggest city.
Life in the colony from the perspective of the colonial power.
The first few weeks of life in the Sydney Cove colony were completely chaotic. Officers abused power, convicts ran rampant and Captain Arthur Phillip struggled to maintain order. Gradually, his power was restored, and things began to return to normal however the colony still faced many setbacks on its way to completion.
The indiscriminate socializing of marines, seamen and male and female convicts, which could not be prevented, led to much drunkenness and immorality. Some convicts were lazy and had to be driven to work; others were willing enough but incapable. Theft of food and alcohol was very common place and floggings of up to 500 lashes and even the hanging on 6 march of James Barett failed to check the evil. .
Attempts to win the friendship of the local Aborigines were not notably successful and convicts who strayed in the wood were often wounded and occasionally killed. Sheep and cattle died of disease, Seed grain was eaten by ants and field-mice and soil around the Sydney cove was found to be unfertile.
Food stores were contaminated by rats or were unfit to eat and gradually the colony sunk deeper towards famine.
Life in the colony from the perspective of the Aborigines.
When the British first arrived in Australia they were unaware of the Aboriginal people who had lived here for thousands of years. They said that the land was "terra nullius", meaning vacant land. .The British took their land and their rights away from them. The Aborigines constantly fought with the British about their right to the land in which they lived on.