the place on the east coast of Australia where Captain Cook landed in 1770. The British government decided in 1787 to send criminals there from British prisons. After that the name Botany Bay was often used to mean any place in Australia where criminals were sent from Britain.
BOTANY BAY
Meaning of BOTANY BAY in English
Oxford guide to British and American culture English vocabulary. Руководство по британской и американской культуре, Оксфордский английский словарь. 2005