She became famous as one of the ships with the early explorations of the Australian coast and other the southern Pacific islands.

[1] Commanded by Henry Waterhouse sailed Reliance to New South Wales, arriving in Sydney on 7 September 1795.

Among her crew and passengers were midshipman Matthew Flinders, the ship's doctor George Bass, the new Governor John Hunter, and the Aboriginal Bennelong.

These were the first merino sheep imported into the colony, and Waterhouse supplied lambs to many of the settlers including John Macarthur and Samuel Marsden.

Waterhouse had bought a property on the bank of the Parramatta River, the Vineyard, and the sheep lived there until he left the colony in March 1800 when most of the flock was sold to William Cox.