Collins, David (1756?-1810), was the founder of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, Australia. He was also the first lieutenant governor of Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania).
Collins was born in London on March 3, probably in 1756, though some sources say 1754. He joined the Royal Marines as a teenager and fought in North America during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Collins landed with the First Fleet at Port Jackson, Australia (now Sydney), in 1788. He became the first judge advocate of the colony of New South Wales. In that position, he supervised the colony’s entire legal system. He wrote a book about the colony, An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales (1798).
In 1803, the British government sent Collins to establish a settlement at Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, Australia. He moved to Sullivan’s Cove, in Van Diemen’s Land, in 1804 and established the settlement that became Hobart. He died there on March 24, 1810.
See also First Fleet ; Hobart .
