The Astrolabe was at King George Sound from 15 to 25 October 1826. An observatory and tents were set up on the right bank near the entrance to Princess Royal Harbour. D’Urville described it as a very beautiful watering place. Abundant supplies of wood and good water were obtainable at a short distance, and the Astrolabe had safe anchorage. D’Urville concluded that it would be difficult to find a more suitable place to establish a colony, and he professed astonishment that the English had not already done so. In fact, Major Edmund Lockyer arrived only two months after the departure of the Astrolabe and established a settlement at Princess Royal Harbour.
It was this French visit that persuaded the British Government and Governor Darling in New South Wales to send a contingent of British forces to occupy the region and thwart any further French interest there in December 1826.
