BOTANY BAY, an inlet on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, in lat. 34° S., c. 5 m. S. of Port Jackson, which it resembles in being a drowned valley feature (Cook's and George's rivers) shut in by peninsular headlands (La Perouse and Kurnell).
Historically it is of intereg. as marking Captain James Cook's first landing place upon Australian soil, of which he took pos session in the name of the British Crown. The "Endeavour" lay off here April 29–May 7, 177o, the bays and creeks were explored, and Joseph Banks, the botanist, discovered a profusion of new flowers and plants. The bay, at first styled Sting-Ray harbour (Stingrays bay) was consequently renamed Botany bay, apparently by Cook himself upon his homeward voyage. In 1788 a penal settlement was established, and maintained there for some years until removed to near the site of Sydney. With the growth of Sydney, the shores of Botany bay were abandoned for some time to the more unsavoury forms of industry (glue, tallow-rendering, wool-scouring works), but recently the suburbs of Sydney have flowed over and now occupy its shores. The head lands are national reserves, and Botany bay has become a pleasure resort of increasing popularity. A monument marks the tradi tional site of Cook's first landing.