The Navigators: Baudin arrives in New Holland

Posted 11 Jan 2022Tue 11 Jan 2022 at 3:50am

View from tall ship at sea shows ropes, land in distance — The Navigators: Baudin arrives in New Holland

NARRATOR:

Seven months after leaving France, one morning, Baudin contemplates the true beginning of his mission.

NICOLAS BAUDIN:

'At half past seven, the top men unfurling the sails told us of land lying east by north-east.'

MARTINE MARIN:

You can imagine the excitement of a scientist, you know, after so much time being in the ship doing nothing because they couldn't work at anything. And suddenly the coast was in sight.

NICOLAS BAUDIN:

'At nine o'clock, we left to go ashore. All the scientists, as may easily be mentioned, wanted to be at the party. Until then, we had not seen a single one of the natives of the country. But as we landed, we saw one. At first, he appeared to pay little attention to us. But when we landed, at about the distance of a gunshot from him, the native began to shout violently, indicating to us to go back.'

NARRATOR:

Baudin ignores the instruction and steps on to the soil of New Holland.

NICOLAS BAUDIN:

'It was the wish of the First Consul that, as deputies of Europe, we should conciliate this and inform people and appear among them as friends and benefactors.'

NARRATOR:

Baudin finds traces of the local inhabitants, but the people themselves have disappeared from view.

NICOLAS BAUDIN:

'On the short tour inland, I had apple and pear seeds and various other types of vegetable planted on the plain that we crossed. If all these thing flourish, it will mean additional sustenance for the individuals in this part of New Holland.'

NARRATOR:

Baudin returns to the ship safely. However, a later landing party fails to return.

NICOLAS BAUDIN:

'I gave orders for the lights to be put on the masts and for the cannon to be fired every two hours.'

NARRATOR:

There is no response from the shore.

NICOLAS BAUDIN:

'I could not hold back my tears and withdrew to my cabin to ponder the next steps I should have to take.'

NARRATOR:

After several days, the missing men are sighted. With the weather changing, Baudin attempts a rescue.

NICOLAS BAUDIN:

'I could see how strong the undertow was on shore. Finally, Monsieur Milius was in the small boat. He told me that having gone to the place where the long boat was, this attempt had cost the life of one of his boatmen, who was carried away by a wave and drowned.

NARRATOR:

Baudin names the spot 'Bay of the Clumsy'.

SUBJECTS: History

YEARS: 3–4

Imagine the excitement of Nicolas Baudin and his scientists when they reach 'New Holland'.

After seven months at sea they can finally explore this strange new land. This clip describes the thrill and the tragedy of Baudin's first days in 'New Holland'.

Things to think about

1.Most of Baudin's crew were not sailors but scientists who were curious about the animals and plants that they might find in 'New Holland'. What will they find when they land that is new to them? What might the Wardandi (the local Aboriginal people) think of the newcomers? How might they feel about the sudden appearance of uninvited strangers to their land?
2.Before he left France, Baudin was told how he should treat the Indigenous people of 'New Holland'. Listen for details about these instructions. What does Baudin deliberately leave behind on the plain? Why does he do this? What might the Wardandi have felt about this? How does the Wardandi man respond to the newcomers? What do the visitors do in response? What do you think about this?
3.Baudin was asked to 'conciliate' with the Indigenous people of 'New Holland'. Does 'conciliate' remind you of any other words you know? What might it mean? What might the local Wardandi people have thought about this idea? What do you think about the French planting seeds they brought from Europe? Can you think of positive and negative effects of planting the seeds?
4.What can you find out about the Wardandi people since Baudin's visit in 1801? Does the Bay of the Clumsy still have this name today? Try to find it on a map. Hint: Look for Geographe Bay in Western Australia. Who might have made the drawings and paintings you see in the clip? Why were they made? See how many images of Baudin's expedition you can find. Make a slide show or podcast of your images.

Date of broadcast: 23 Feb 2010

Copyright

^{Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated).}^{Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated).}^{Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners.}^{Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).}

Posted 11 Jan 2022Tue 11 Jan 2022 at 3:50am

History Education

The Navigators: Baudin arrives in New Holland

Imagine the excitement of Nicolas Baudin and his scientists when they reach 'New Holland'.

Things to think about

Copyright

Related

The Navigators: Cape of Good Hope

The Navigators: Baudin sails north to Timor

The Navigators: Meeting of the expeditions

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Transcript

Imagine the excitement of Nicolas Baudin and his scientists when they reach 'New Holland'.

Things to think about

Copyright

The Navigators: Cape of Good Hope

The Navigators: Baudin sails north to Timor

The Navigators: Meeting of the expeditions

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