CANBERRA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Australia has marked the 250th anniversary of the arrival of British settlers in the country.

Captain James Cook arrived at Botany Bay in Australia's east coast near current-day Sydney on April 29, 1770.

While the planned celebrations and festivities have been delayed amid COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the milestone was an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Australia's indigenous people, one of the world's oldest continuing living cultures.

"The day Cook and the local Indigenous community at Kamay first made contact 250 years ago changed the course of our land forever," Morrison said in a statement.

"It's a point in time from which we embarked on a shared journey which is realized in the way we live today.

"We honor the resilience, wisdom, custodianship and stewardship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Indigenous culture is a fundamental element of modern Australia."

A replica of Cook's ship, the HMS Endeavor, was set to circumnavigate Australia to mark the anniversary but the voyage was suspended in March.

Cook's arrival in Australia paved the way for the arrival of the First Fleet in Botany Bay in January 1788, which marked the beginning of British colonization of the continent.

Indigenous Australians have objected to any celebration of Cook's arrival, saying it was the beginning of the genocide of their people by European settlers.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said that Cook's arrival was an important chapter in the 65,000-year history of indigenous Australians.

"The anniversary represents an opportunity to reflect upon the impact and changes felt by Indigenous Australians, and also to gain a better understanding of how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders lived prior to European settlement," Wyatt, the first indigenous person to serve as the minister, said. Enditem

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