The history of Australian convicts is a fascinating, albeit often brutal, chapter in the nation’s past. Beginning in 1788 with the arrival of the First Fleet, Britain transported over 162,000 convicts to Australia, primarily for petty crimes that would barely warrant imprisonment today. Convicts were also sent from other places depending on where they were tried such as such as Ireland, Canada and India. The First Fleet transported around 750 convicts, the Second Fleet two years later carried just over 1,000 convicts, including women.

The individuals hailed from diverse backgrounds and were sentenced to transportation as a form of punishment and a means of relieving overcrowded Commonwealth prisons. Often the punishment of transportation to Australia was also a reprieve as many had been sentenced to death for what we would now regard as petty crimes. Transportation usually came with a term limit, most often 7 years, 10 years or 14 years depending on the nature of the crime, however some were transported for life.

The arrival of convicts dramatically shaped the early development of the Australian colonies, providing a vital labour force for building infrastructure, farming the land, and establishing settlements. Over the period from 1788 to the mid 1800s, around 160,000 souls were transported to various Australian states and penal colonies, including Tasmania, Sydney, South Australia and Western Australia.

The lives of the convicts varied greatly and not all went straight to the penal colonies. Many were deployed into the regions to work in building gangs or on pastoral settlements depending on their skills and behaviour. Their assigned employers were responsible for housing, clothing and feeding the convicts in return for work. They were paid wages which were often subsidised by the Crown. Some were assigned to government work gangs for building infrastructure such as roads, dams and waterways.

Their sentences were often commuted by a “Ticket of Leave”. This was not a pardon nor did it signal the end of their sentence. It simply meant they were free to leave their servitude like arrangements providing they adhered to the conditions of the ticket which usually meant they were constrained to a particular district. It would now be termed as parole. At the end of their term, the convicts were free to do as they pleased including leasing land, utilising learned trades and starting businesses. They were also free to return home although most stayed on, fearing conditions at home and with many of their families later joining them in Australia.

While the conditions were undoubtedly challenging, with frequent floggings and limited freedoms, many convicts displayed resilience and ingenuity, eventually earning their freedom, and contributing significantly to the economic and social fabric of the burgeoning colonies. The legacy of these individuals, both the hardships they faced and the contributions they made, continues to resonate deeply within Australian society.