Plymouth is situated at the mouths of the rivers Plym and Tamar. It overlooks one of Europe's largest natural harbours, Plymouth Sound. Due to its geographical makeup, the city has a rich maritime past and was once one of the most important Royal Navy bases in the UK.
A number of Australian and American voyages in the 18th and 19th Century originates from here , as shown by the various plaques:
Plaque reads:
Plymouth Men Who Helped To Found Modern Australia Captain Tobias Furneaux charted the coast of Tasmania, and in 1773 became the first Englishman to land there.
Captain John MacArthur gave Australia prosperity through his introduction of marino sheep in the 1790s.
Captain William Bligh survived the mutiny aboard the Bounty to become Governor of New South Wales 1806-1809.
Colonel George Arthur was Lieutenant Governor of Tasmania 1823-1836.
Major Edmond Lockyer raised the British flag in Western Australia in 1827.
Both Furneaux and Bligh accompanied Captain James Cook on the second of his three great voyages of discovery, all of which left from Plymouth, in 1768, 1772, and 1776.
Unveiled by His Excellency Mr. Richard Smith, The Australian High Commissioner 8th September 1992.
The Mayflower was the famous ship that brought the earliest permanent European settlers to New England, USA. The ship made its first landfall at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts on the 11th November after 66 days at sea. There the Mayflower Compact, the first democratic document written in America, was composed and signed.
Today, the ports are much more quiet and the harbour side is a relaxing place to be in.
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