Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres
                                                          south of the Sydney central business district. Two runways of Sydney
                                                              (Kingsford Smith) Airport extend in to the bay. Botany Bay was the site of
                                                            James Cook's first landing of HMS Endeavour on the continent of Australia,
                                                             after his extensive navigation of New Zealand. Later the British planned
                                                             Botany Bay as the site for a penal colony. Out of these plans came the
                               first European habitation of Australia at Sydney Cove.
                                                               But for many years afterward, the Australian penal colony would be referred
                                                               to as "Botany Bay" - and several ballads were written about it.



Botany Bay
First published in Sydney Golden Songster in 1893 This song is a burlesque, written by Stephens and Yardley, from
the comedy 'Little Jack Shepherd' that played in London in 1885, and in Melbourne in 1886.


Farewell to Old England forever
Farewell to my old pals as well
Farewell to the well known Old Bailey
Where I once used to be such a swell

Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ad-di-ty,
Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ay,
Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ad-di-ty
Oh we are bound for Botany Bay

There's the captain as is our commandeer,
There's bo'sun and all the ship's crew
There's first and the second class passengers,
Knows what we poor convicts goes through

Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ad-di-ty,
Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ay,
Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ad-di-ty
Oh we are bound for Botany Bay

'Taint leaving Old England we cares about,
'Taint 'cos we mispells wot we knows
But becos all we light finger'd gentry
Hop's around with a log on our toes.

Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ad-di-ty,
Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ay,
Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ad-di-ty
Oh we are bound for Botany Bay

These seven long years I've been serving now
And seven long more have to stay
All for bashing a bloke down our alley
And taking his ticker away

Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ad-di-ty,
Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ay,
Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ad-di-ty
Oh we are bound for Botany Bay

Oh had I the wings of a turtle-dove,
I'd soar on my pinions so high,
Slap bang to the arms of my Polly love,
And in her sweet presence I'd die

Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ad-di-ty,
Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ay,
Singing too-rall, li-oo-rall, li-ad-di-ty
Oh we are bound for Botany Bay

Now all my young Dookies and Duchesses,
Take warning from what I've to say,
Mind all is your own as you touch-es-es,
Or you'll find us in Botany Bay,



















Today, the Bay is one of the major industrial ports of the city. On the north side of the bay is Kingsford Smith
International Airport, Australia's largest airport. Land was reclaimed from the bay to extend its first north-south
runway and build a second one parallel to it.

The land around the headlands of the bay is protected by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as Botany Bay
National Park. On the northern side of the mouth of the bay is the historic site of La Perouse and to the south is
Kurnell. On the southern side of the bay, a section of water has been fenced off under the authority of the National
Parkes and Wildlife Service at Towra Point for environmental conservation purposes.

Port Botany, to the east of the airport, was built in 1930 and is the largest container terminal in Sydney.
Cook's landing at Botany Bay
The endeavor, a replica of the
ship Cook sailed into Botany
Bay.  
Botany Bay 1791-1867
Botany Bay
Cook's landing place
Sydney, across Botany Bay
Botany Bay, National Park
The harbor across the Bay