Bankstown Settlement Print Page

The Plaque commemorates European settlement of the district in 1795, just seven years after the first settlement at Sydney Cove.

Governor Hunter commissioned Matthew Flinders (then a Royal Navy midshipman), and George Bass (a surgeon), together with the boy servant called William Martin, to explore the `western arm` (Georges River) of Botany Bay to see if the area was hospitable. The trio sailed the winding course of the Georges River aboard an eight-foot craft called the Tom Thumb. They sailed 20 miles beyond any previous survey and landed at what is now known as Garrison Point, located at Georges Hall. Following their favourable report on the area Governor Hunter decided to make it a settlement, and at a later date, named the area Banks` Town in honour of Sir Joseph Banks, who sailed with Captain James Cook aboard the `Endeavour` on Cook`s voyage of discovery from 1768 to 1771.

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