The 30-ton

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

''Rebecca'' was launched in 1834,Memorial to the Rebecca, Rosevears, Tasmania, 1954. built by Captain George Plummer at his boatyard on the banks of the

Tamar River The Tamar River, officially kanamaluka / River Tamar, is a estuary located in northern Tasmania, Australia. Despite being called a river, the waterway is a brackish and tidal estuary over its entire length. Location and features Formed by the ...

at Rosevears,

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...

(

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

). In 1835, it was owned by Robert Scott and chartered by

John Batman John Batman (21 January 18016 May 1839) was an Australian grazier, entrepreneur and explorer. He is best known for his role in the founding of Melbourne. Born and raised in the then-British colony of New South Wales, Batman settled in Van Die ...

on behalf of the

Port Phillip Association The Port Phillip Association (originally the Geelong and Dutigalla Association) was formally formed in June 1835 to settle land in what would become Melbourne, which the association believed had been acquired by John Batman for the association fr ...

for his first voyage to

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

. Sailing from Launceston, Tasmania on 10 May 1835, under the charge of Captain A. B. Harwood, he landed in Port Phillip Bay on 29 May 1835, where, later on 6 June 1835, he entered into a treaty with the aboriginal people for use of their land and chose the site of the future city of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, known as the Batman Treaty After leaving a small party at

Indented Head Indented Head is a small coastal township located on the Bellarine Peninsula, east of Geelong, in the Australian state of Victoria. The town lies on the coast of the Port Phillip bay between the towns of Portarlington and St Leonards. Indented ...

, Batman returned to Launceston, Tasmania on ''Rebecca'' and announced his treaty to the colony at large.

John Helder Wedge John Helder Wedge (1793 – 22 November 1872) was a surveyor, explorer and politician in Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania, Australia).G. H. Stancombe'Wedge, John Helder (1793 - 1872), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition Wedge was ...

, who was also a member of the

, then sailed to Port Phillip on ''Rebecca'' to explore the country, landing at Indented Head and then sailing up the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stre ...

, which he named. Horton and Morris, authors of "The Andersons of Westernport", believe Samuel Anderson, pioneer of

Western Port Western Port, (Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is do ...

, purchased ''Rebecca'' at auction on 19 October 1835 at Kings Wharf for the use of the partnership of Anderson and Massie who operated from Bass in Victoria after Samuel Anderson established the third permanent settlement in Victoria in 1835. ;From Tasmanian Shipwrecks: :''Rebecca''. Sloop, 25 tons. Built and reg. at Launceston, 4/1834, 1/1840. Lbd 35-4 x 13-1 × 6 ft. She had achieved fame as the vessel which had taken John Batman to Port Phillip in 1835 to establish the 'village' of Melbourne. Captain Henry Rowland. Ashore in a gale at Cape Portland, Tasmania, 20 March 1839. All hands landed safely and salvaged the cargo, but the vessel became a total wreck. S1 A memorial to ''Rebecca'' was unveiled in 1954''The Mercury''. Hobart, Tasmania. 13 November 1954. p. 8. still existing today, near the site of George Plummer's boatyard at Rosevears, on the

, Tasmania, recording its role in the founding of Melbourne.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rebecca Sloops Maritime incidents in March 1839 1834 ships Ships built in Tasmania