The first group of convicts to be sent from Great Britain to Australia left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787. This was the First Fleet, which consisted of eleven ships carrying almost 1500 people, of which just over 750 were convicts. The remainder were marines, some of whom took their families, and officers of the British Royal Navy, sent to oversee the establishment of the new colony.
Most of the convicts sent to Australia stayed in Australia after their sentence was completed, or after they achieved a free pardon. Australia offered far more opportunities for employment and to make a decent living than Great Britain did at the time. Many of the convicts married other convicts, or free settlers who came over, and they would be given land grants or the means to start their own trade.
Great Britain sent prisoners to Australia, beginning in 1788, as a solution to overcrowded prisons. The first fleet of convicts arrived in New South Wales, marking the start of the British penal transportation system. This practice continued for several decades, with thousands of convicts being sent to various Australian colonies until it was officially abolished in the mid-19th century.
Whilst the Dutch are credited with the discovery of Australia, they did not choose to colonise it. Seventeen years after English seaman James Cook named the eastern half of Australia "New South Wales" and claimed for England, the First Fleet of convicts departed from England. So, no, Australia did not start from prisoners from Australia, it started with convicts from England, along with the officers and marines sent to guard the convicts and direct the new colony.
The Convict Era had all but stopped by the time the goldrushes came, at least in the eastern states. Although convicts were still being transported to Western Australia, the goldrushes there did not start until about seven years after transportation finished.
Cascade brewery in Tasmania, year not know but it was from the time of the convicts
South Australia, Western Australia (Swan River) and Victoria (Port Phillip) all did not start as convict colonies.While South Australia always remained convict-free, the settlers of the Swan River colony asked for convicts because they claimed there was the need for convict labour. The first convicts arrived about 15 years after the colony was founded.The Port Phillip District (Victoria) was established by free settlers who were joined by ex-convicts from Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales.
Australia was colonised with the arrival of the First Fleet from Britain, on 26 January 1788.The convicts and officers of the First Fleet arrived at the location they were meant to settle, Botany Bay, on 18 January 1788. However, due to the bay not being as promising as they had been led to believe, they travelled north 8 km and settled in Port Jackson, arriving there and raising the British flag on 26 January 1788. This is the official start of the colonisation of Australia.
Approximately 25,000 female convicts were sent to Australia between 1788 and 1853. The transportation of female convicts aimed to address the gender imbalance in the penal colonies and provide labor for developing settlements. Many of these women were convicted of theft or other minor crimes and were often offered a chance to start anew in Australia.
Democracy started in australia in 1901
Convicts' Day, also known as "Convict Day," is observed in Australia on January 26th, commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet at Port Jackson in 1788. This day marks the beginning of British colonization and the establishment of a penal colony in Australia. While it has historical significance, it is also a day of reflection for many Indigenous Australians, as it represents the start of displacement and cultural disruption.
The capital cities in Australia which had convicts at some stage were:SydneyHobartBrisbaneMelbournePerthAdelaide, capital of South Australia, never had convicts.Interestingly, Western Australia (Swan River) and Victoria (Port Phillip) did not start as convict colonies.While South Australia always remained convict-free, the settlers of the Swan River colony asked for convicts because they claimed there was the need for convict labour. The first convicts arrived about 15 years after the colony was founded.The Port Phillip District (Victoria) was established by free settlers who were joined by ex-convicts from Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales. The first colony in Port Phillip, at Sorrento, which was indeed a convict colony, failed, so the southern coast had no formal colony for another three decades or more.
South Australia was the only state in Australia that did not use convict labour. Once convicts were given a free pardon, however, some of them chose to settle in South Australia to start their new life.