Adventure Bay could be called the birth place of Van Diemen's Land - Tasmania.
The bay was first sighted by Abel Tasman in 1642 when exploring for the
great south land south of the then known world because of gale force winds,
he was unable to make a landing. Captain James Cook in H. M. S. "Resolution"
& Captain Tobias Furneaux in H. M. S. "Adventure" left England
in 1772 also to explore the South Seas, becoming separated Furneaux followed
Tasman's chart and in 1773 found the bay naming it Adventure Bay - replenished
his water and wood supplies and sailed on to New Zealand. Captain Cook
landed at Adventure Bay in 1777 from H. M. S. "Resolution" with
William Bligh as sailing master. Captain Bligh revisited Adventure Bay
in 1788 with botanist Nelson planted a number of fruit trees on the east
side of the bay which he brought from the Cape of Good Hope. When he returned
in 1792 he found that one apple tree was still growing. The others having
been consumed by fire. It is said this was the first Granny Smith apple
tree. Tasmania was later to become known throughout the world as the Apple
Isle of Australia.
Truganini was the last of the full blooded Tasmanian aboriginals to survive. She belonged
to a Bruny Island Tribe.
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