Barnet Island.

Jonathan's POV 13th Sep 1724

Captain Jonathan Barnet strode up to the Town Hall. It was a beautiful September morning in 1724, but he was struck with a problem. The colony was starving. The local fauna was too small to be eaten and the sheep the British had brought with them had been killed. Sources told the Captain a local animal, called a Barnet Island Devil, was responsible for the sheep’s ' deaths.

With no option left, Jonathan had permitted the HMB New York and HMB Norwich to plague the Dutch ships that occasionally ventured south. This was only a temporary solution, though. Jonathan knew that there were natives, or Australish Indians as they were called, to the north. These Australish Indians had to live off something, and Jonathan was determined to find out what it was. Tomorrow, he would embark on a journey to the north of Barnet Island, to the were the natives lived.

“Dad!” A female voice called from behind.

Jonathan turned and saw a young, seventeen year old running towards him. It was his daughter, one of only seventeen free women on Barnet Island. All of the other women on the island were convicts. Of the three-hundred and forty seven settlers in the new land, one-hundred and sixty two were convicts, ninety-two were free settlers another ninety-two were Royal Marines and the remaining one was Jonathan himself.

“What is it Gabriella?” Jonathan asked.

“The HMB New York has returned.” Gabriella said, “It has some food which will keep us going for a little longer and the managed to construct a map. They claim it is the most accurate map of this new land. Here it is.”

Jonathan took the map from his daughter. He looked at the map. Apparently, there were three main islands; an island near New Guinea, Barnet Island and the central island of Australia. His ships told him that the Austro-Hungarians were on the far west of the mainland, the Dutch in the far north and the Spaniards to the far east. Most suprising, was the Turks in on island to the north, named York Island. It seems the Ottomans have start to infect other areas, Jonathan thought. He wasn't a big fan of the Turks. He turned his eyes back to the map, he saw the mainland had two inland seas. It reminded him of when he had seen the great lakes in the Thirteen Colonies, Britain’s most loyal colonies. It was Jonathan’s dream that Anne Town, indeed all of Barnet Island would become as loyal as America. One day he would see that dream fulfilled. But for now, he had to meet Lieutenant Brendan Holloway, commander of the Marines, in the Town Hall.
 
Australish Indian POV 17th Sep 1724

Nardoo crept the forest; he was trailing a group of men. There were seven men in the group, six wore red garments and another wore blue. Nardoo assumed the blue man was the leader. Nardoo decided to get closer to the group. He ran silently until he was only five metres from them. One of the men in red started talking gibberish, it came out sounding like:


“Sir, a savage is following us.”



“Leave him be.” The man is blue said.


Nardoo looked closer at the men. The ones in red held strange spears, that were blunt on one end and like a club on another end. The men in blue had a boomerang-like object on his belt, but it looked to thick to fly. Then, Nardoo realized the most shocking thing about them, their skin. It was a bright pale colour. He was so shocked, that he didn’t move.
He remembered hearing one of the dreamtime stories. In the story, pale skinned men with strange marking on their face sailed to his tribe’s home. The men came from a land that was always cloudy, and they were very warlike. It was said that one day the men from the land of the cloud would come back to destroy his home.
Although these men didn’t have any marks on their face he was sure, that they came from the land of the cloud. Nardoo stood up, right in front of the blue clothed man. Suddenly, a red clothed man stood in front of the blue man. The red man put his spear in Nardoo’s face, but Nardoo wasn’t scared. He could see the spear was hollow, so Nardoo lifted his spear and put through the red man’s heart. All the other red men lifted the spears, in the same way. Then the blue man shouted.


“Kill that savage!”


Nardoo fell to the ground, blood pouring from him. So, the cloud men have magic powers, were Nardoo’s final thoughts as he dies. Now he was one with the Dreaming.
 
First Ten Years

1714 - Australia and Barnet Island are discovered.
23rd July 1722 – British land in Mary Harbor and found the colony of Anne Town (In OTL Sorell). The fleet contains HMB New York (The flagship), HMB Norfolk, HMB Elizabeth, HMB Boston, HMB Invincible II, HMB Destructor and HMB Supply .The British begin constructing buildings in the day. At night a shift of Royal Marines guard the building, whilst the convicts and free settlers sleep in the ships.
4th-10th August 1722 – The Town Hall’s construction is completed. However, it only has rooms for Jonathan Barnet and his daughter. The Royal Barracks’ construction is completed, all of the Royal Marines move in. Upwards of seven houses are completed, within a month all of the free settlers will have a home.
12th August 1722 – Anne Town Gaol is completed, all of the convicts move in.
8th September 1722 – A small dock is built in Mary Harbour.
4th October 1722 – The dirt road connecting the Town Hall with the Dock is paved. It’s named George Street.
2nd of January 1723 – The residents of Anne Town (excluding the convicts) celebrate the New Year.
7th of March 1723 – Supplies begin to run low. The next day, a sheep is found dead.
12th April 1723 – The HMB Invincible II, HMB Destructor and HMB Supply encounter Spanish Galleons on a patrol. The Invincible II and Supply are lost with all hands. The Destructor manages to return, although it’s heavily listing.
4th July 1723 – A large parade is held in Anne Town for the Governor’s daughter’s birthday.
9th August 1723 – The HMB Norfolk and HMB Boston capture a Dutch ship and raid it of its supplies. The captured Dutch sailors are put into Anne Town Gaol. The Dutch think the ship is lost in a storm and do not learn of what really happened until 1745.
3rd of March 1724 – By now all the sheep in Barnet Island have been killed.
17th September 1724 – First contact with Australish Indians turns violent, when an Indian kills Private Leroy Jenkins.
4th August 1725 – Gabriella Barnet and Lieutenant Brendan Holloway are married.
8th August 1725 – Second Fleet arrives, with fresh supplies. The HMB Harrington, which came in the second fleet, is sent back to Britain to ask for better supplies. Pop: 612.
1726 – The colony can only support 500 people, despite having over 600.
1727-1731 – Over 200 die from starvation.
12th July 1732 – Most Barnet Island Devils near Anne Town have been killed. Third Fleet arrives, with sheep and cows from Batavia. The Colony’s suffering is coming to an end. Pop: 690.

Australia 1720 2.PNG
 
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Next Ten Years

4th November 1733 – The Barnet family name comes to an end as; Governor Barnet drowns whilst swimming in a lake near Anne Town. Lieutenant Brendan Holloway takes over as Temporary Governor. The HMB Elizabeth is sent back to the United Kingdom, to ask on whom to make the next Governor.
6th March 1734 – Orders from parliament say to make the late Governor’s son the new Governor. However, as Jonathan only had a daughter, she is made temporary Governor. She becomes the first female Governor is history and will be the only one for the next one hundred and seventy years.
7th of March 1734 – Public outcry at having a female governor is put down, when Gabriella dressed in a Royal Marine uniform, reminds the populace that under Elizabeth the First, the British defeated the Spanish Armada. News of Gabriella becoming Governor does not leave to the UK for three months. At first Parliament is shocked and appalled, until Queen Caroline is able to convince them otherwise.
14th of November 1734 – Gabriella is officially declared Governor of Barnet and Holloway Islands. To put it in the word of the Austral Times “This is one small step for Britain, one giant leap for Women all over.”
1735 – Most of teh ships in Mary Harbour sail back to Britain, only the HMB New York, HMB Boston, HMB Norfolk and HMB Destructor remain. At Anne Town Dock, work begins to construct the first Australish made ship; the HMS Austral.
29th February 1736 – HMB Austral is completed. HMS Austral, HMB New York, HMB Boston, HMB Norfolk and HMB Destructor all form the Royal Australish Fleet. The New York becomes the flagship. HMB New York and HMB Boston are the largest Royal Navy vessels in the Pacific, each sporting 76-guns.
12th May 1737 – The HMB New York single handily destroys three 82-gun French ships. The story of how the battle spreads over the Empire within months and fame is brought to Barnet Island.
13th of May 1737 – The HMB New York finds the settlement of Atarshii-Toshi. The Japanese allow the British ship to stay overnight, before heading back to Anne Town. When the New York leaves, two Japanese vessels follow it.
17th May 1737 – The HMB New York arrives in Mary Harbour and docks at the Anne Town Dock. The two Japanese vessels are forced to stay anchored in Mary Bay under guard from the HMB Boston and HMS Austral.
18th of May 1737 – Two Japanese diplomats enter Anne Town, under heavy guard, from both their Samurais and the Royal Marines on duty in Anne Town.
19th of May 1737 – The Japanese diplomats speak with Governor Gabriella Holloway. They resolve to keep peaceful relations for the time being. No Trade is organized, yet.
7th of August 1738 – The town of Richmond is founded south of Anne Town (near OTL North Hobart), to compensate for Anne Town’s growing population. Pop: 1’143. 39% of Anne Town is under 5 years old.
1739 – The Towns of New Boston (OTL Cygnet) and Manly (OTL Orford) are founded.
1st July 1740 – Australish Indians attack New Boston in great force. The Royal Marines fight back, killing eighteen Indians. Two convicts, a free settler and three Marines lose their lives in the raid.
7th July 1740 – The HMS Gabriella begins construction.
4th October 1740 – The HMS Gabriella is completed. Gov. Gabriella and husband sail to a small harbour in north Barnet Island (OTL George Town) on the new ship. When the ship arrives there a small town, George Town is constructed. George Town is meant to act as a winter palace for the Governor.

Barnet Island 2.JPG
 
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