The Borrowdale was a store ship in the First Fleet which carried the convicts and soldiers to Australia to start a penal colony. This was the start of European settlement of Australia. The "Borrowdale" was a ship of 275 tons which had been built at Sunderland in about 1785. It was under the command of Master R. Hobson. 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. 