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Who commanded the First Fleet that established the New South Wales colony?
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The First Fleet, which established the first permanent European colony in New South Wales, was commanded by Arthur Phillip.12
Appointed by the British government in 1786 to found a convict settlement, Phillip led the expedition of 11 ships that departed in May 1787. Upon arriving in Australia in early 1788, he served as the colony's first governor, exercising near-absolute authority as he oversaw the establishment of the settlement at Sydney Cove.123