The area in which Sydney is located today has been inhabited by Australian aboriginals for 40,000 years. The European interest in the area began with the British explorer James Cook’s arrival in 1770 to what is known today as Botany Bay. After the discovery, the British government decided to found a new colony there, and in 1788 a settlement of convicts was established by Captain Arthur Phillip. Phillip named the town after the British minister, Thomas Townshend, who held the title Lord Sydney
