This is the first European printed map of Port Jackson. It was surveyed by Captain John Hunter when he was a commander of H.M.S. Sirius, flagship of the First Fleet.

This is one of the cornerstone maps of any Australian collection. Hunter himself was an extraordinary individual. Enrolling in the Navy as an able seaman at age 18 during the Seven Years War, he was promoted to Midshipman and then served throughout the world in the latter part of the 18th century. He became the second governor of New South Wales from 1795-1800. He then returned to England and served during the Napoleonic War. By the end of the his life, he had been promoted to Vice Admiral. [AUNZ2803]