John Shortland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Shortland (1769-1810), naval officer, joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman and went to Quebec in a transport commanded by his father. From 1783 to 1787 he served in the West Indies. In 1787 he was master's mate in the Sirius when the First Fleet sailed for Australia. Shortland spent nearly five years in Australia including time on Norfolk Island where the Sirius was wrecked in 1790. In 1792 he returned to England.
In 1794 he returned to Australia with the new governor, John Hunter as first lieutenant. He named the Hunter River on which Newcastle, New South Wales is situated. A suburb of Newcastle is named after him.
