Discovery of Western Port Bay
Western Port Bay was first spotted by European's in 1798, by George Bass who had been travelling down from Sydney to explore the sout-east coast of Australia. Bass discovered Western Port, naming it Wester Port because it was the most westerly harbour discovered at that time. In 1834 the bay was permanently settled, however these Pioneers were hindered in there supplies, struggling to find a sufficient source of fresh water, causing some people to leave Western Port. However from the 1840's much development took place, with many industries being set up around oystering, stone and timber just to name a few. These new industries opened up trade options for Western Port Bay there fore bringing seacraft and various kinds of boats including, schooners and ketches to travel the trade routes. The routes traveled included journeys along the coast to other bays, including Port Phillip (which was colonised soon after), to and from other locations in Western Port such as Phillip Island and from Gippsland to Hastings, trade across the Bass Strait to Tasmania was also a frequent route.
Vessels
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Some information about some of the different kind of period boats and vessels:
Schooner: A schooner was created around the 1600's by the Dutch, it is a sailing boat with two (or more) masts with fore and aft type sails (these sails run almost parallel along the keel of the boats). They became more developed in America throughout the 1800's and because of their speed and maneuverability they became popular in the West Indies among Pirates.
Ketch: A ketch is a two mast sailing vessel, where the front mast is larger then the back mast. Throughout the 17th and 18th century there main use was as a small war ship, carrying mortars, however its most common use was as a fishing or freighter in Europe.
Schooner: A schooner was created around the 1600's by the Dutch, it is a sailing boat with two (or more) masts with fore and aft type sails (these sails run almost parallel along the keel of the boats). They became more developed in America throughout the 1800's and because of their speed and maneuverability they became popular in the West Indies among Pirates.
Ketch: A ketch is a two mast sailing vessel, where the front mast is larger then the back mast. Throughout the 17th and 18th century there main use was as a small war ship, carrying mortars, however its most common use was as a fishing or freighter in Europe.
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Steamer: Steamers are a boat either properlled by a engine or by paddle wheels and its primary source of power is from a steam engine. The first commercial steamboat began running in 1788, transporting up to 30 passengers between Philadelphia and Burlington in the U.S, throughout the 18th and 19th century there was large developments to the systems, making them smaller and more powerful with different configurations and variations.
Brig: Brigs are a two (or more) mast sailing vessel with square rigging (the sails run horizontal to the boat), they were used mainly throughout the 18th and 19th century. Brigs were used as small war ships with 8-10 cannons along it, and they were quickly adopted by pirates, they were also used as merchant ships, however the vessels soon died out when steamboats became more and more popular.
Brig: Brigs are a two (or more) mast sailing vessel with square rigging (the sails run horizontal to the boat), they were used mainly throughout the 18th and 19th century. Brigs were used as small war ships with 8-10 cannons along it, and they were quickly adopted by pirates, they were also used as merchant ships, however the vessels soon died out when steamboats became more and more popular.