The Fishburn was a store ship in the First Fleet. The First Fleet carried the convicts and soldiers to Australia to start a penal colony. The ships left England in May 1787 and arrived in Australia in January 1788. This was the start of European settlement of Australia. The "Fishburn" was a ship of 378 tons under the command of Master Robert Brown. The ship was long and wide. It had been built in Whitby in 1780. The ship had a contract with the British Government to transport food and equipment. The owners were paid at a rate of 10 shillings per ton per month until the ship returned to Deptford. 