Australian Colonial Settlement

Convicts are typically under the authority of prison wardens, correctional officers, and other staff employed by the corrections system. These professionals oversee the day-to-day operations of prisons and ensure that inmates are securely held and supervised.

A sentence for a convict sent to Australia could be many years in length. Because of reasons such as good behaviour, some convicts were given a "ticket of leave". These individuals were still watched however, as some convicts had a tendency to reoffend. They were required to report in regularly to the authorities.

While on their ticket-of-leave, they were permitted to work for a living in a trade. After a further period of good behaviour, these convicts were given a "free pardon", meaning they could start their own trade, business, or take up land which may have been allocated to them and use it for farming or crops. Some even became Constables for the colony (for example John Smith).

Some of Australia's convicts became great pioneers in their field. Francis Greenway, for example, had trained as an architect prior to his sentence, and his work can be seen in some of the old, gracious buildings still standing in Sydney today. George Howe had a background in printing; he published Australia's first regular newspaper.

Convicts rarely, if ever, returned to England, as Australia held much better opportunities for them.

Conditions in England in the 18th century were tough: the Industrial Revolution had made it harder for people to earn an honest wage as simpler tasks were replaced by machine labour. A single machine, whether it be a sewing machine or a plough used in farming, could replace numerous people. As a result, unemployment rose, and people turned to crime to survive. The theft of basic necessities such as food and clothing was particularly common, and these crimes were committed by men, women and children equally.

As the Convict was the lowest of the social pecking order, their accomodations and care were not of a great priority, yet as forced labour some modicum of consideration was given.

The more hardenned repeat offenders lived in leg irons and were worked in gangs of 25. This was made up of 6 groups of four with a supervisior, a convict as well. They would be shacklled to cross beams which were linked to a draw bar and to this bar the chain or dray was attached. These men replaced the beasts of burden (oxen) as there were more convicts than oxen.

The English had even less time for those political prisoners from Ireland and Scotland and to the road gangs many were assigned, even though they were not felons, yet had been exiled for the term of their natural lives.

The 'slab hut' was the standard for convicts. This was built to a standard, being, 18 feet long and 12 feet across, with a centre pole to hold the ridge, with walls 6 foot above ground. The slabs were hand cut from logs and are around 4 x 12 inches by 8 to 10 feet in length

Two huts would be assigned to a road gang, even though the design of the hut was meant for ten people sleeping on the floor. Six at one end and four at the other around the fireplace, the English jailers found it more effective to crowd 25 into space for 20.

They would be chained to the centre pole to prevent them from absconding overnight.

Imagine the conversations at night during winter between the political prisoners, talking of a world better for their kids than this one.

Their dream has become Australia.

Whilst Britain colonised both countries, the essential difference is that Australia was a convict settlement from the first day, whereas New Zealand was populated by free settlers, mainly whalers, sealers, and missionaries. New Zealand became a British colony in 1840 with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi: after this, many more free settlers from Britain arrived in New Zealand. The difference between this arrangement and that with Australia was that free settlers were free to come, along with the First Fleet (had they wanted to), and certainly after that. Whereas Britain recognised the rights of the Maori people, and saw the need to establish a treaty with them before they colonised the country, they did not recognise the rights of the Australian Aborigines, and settled the country regardless.

Some of the disadvantages of having convicts in Australia included negative impacts on Indigenous populations, spread of disease, strain on resources, and the development of a class system based on criminal history. Additionally, convicts faced harsh living conditions and limited opportunities for rehabilitation.

The first Australian settlers were the indigenous people known as the Aborigines, who were believed to have arrived from the Asian continental land mass thousands of years ago. The first white settlers were convicts and officers from England, who arrived on the First Fleet in 1788.

When established, the military colony in Australia used convict labour to build and run the township. As more convicts and free settlers arrived, the settlers were assigned convicts (whom they had to house and feed) as labourers, shepherds and servants.

It was essentially an open prison. The convicts mostly went about their tasks unfettered, some in supervised work gangs, others quite freely. They were subject to a weekly muster roll call. Trusty prisoners were appointed supervisors for work parties. Punishments on recalcitrant prisoners had to be authorised by a magistrate.

Those who were well conducted, after serving part of their sentence, were given a 'ticket of leave' for the remaining part of their sentence and allowed to move about seeking employment and not subject to the muster.

In the 1840s, a different system obtained, with newly arrived convicts committed to prisons built at Port Arthur in Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island until released on ticket of leave.

The convicts who were sent to Australia were ordinary, everyday people who made the mistake of committing any of a range of crimes, from larceny and fraud to stealing a mere loaf of bread in order to survive.

None of the convicts were murderers.

The convicts literally built the colony. They constructed the buildings, roads and bridges and quarried the stone for building as well as cutting down the trees. They established the first farms and crops, and tended the livestock.

Some convicts were assigned as servants or tradesmen to free settlers. Other, educated convicts were given work that suited their education; for example, one of Australia's most famous convicts was the architect Francis Greenway.

William Lawson, together with Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth, was one of Australia's first inland explorers. For twenty-five years, the settlements of Sydney and Parramatta had struggled with the increasing demands for grazing and crop land. These men were determined to find a way through the impassable Blue Mountains to the rich grasslands they believed lay inland, and they achieved this in May 1813.

The Secret River is a powerful book highlighting the conflict between early settlers and Aborigines in Sydney Cove, and the ultimate tragedy of the loss of the aboriginal way of life. It is not the purpose of WikiAnswers to give away the ending of a story in lieu of someone actually reading the novel.

The first lobotomy was performed in 1935 by Portuguese neurologist António Egas Moniz.

William Bligh, the British naval officer who is best known for his role in the mutiny on the Bounty, had seven children with his wife, Elizabeth.

It took Columbus three voyages to see the coast of America - his first two landed on Caribbean islands. Look at the map. With the continent of the Americas between him and Australia, which is on the far side of the Pacific Ocean, and no Panama Canal, the chances of his seeing that Australia are vanishingly small.

Convicts in Australia faced a range of problems, including harsh living conditions, forced labor, limited freedom, and social isolation. They often suffered from malnutrition, disease, and physical abuse. Moreover, they were stigmatized by society, which made it difficult for them to reintegrate into the community after serving their sentences.

Blaxland had a close and collaborative relationship with his companions, Wentworth and Lawson, during their journey across the Blue Mountains. They relied on each other for support, decision-making, and problem-solving, which was crucial for the success of their expedition. Their strong camaraderie and teamwork enabled them to navigate the difficult terrain and find a route through the mountains.

Fleet ditch is an underground river that flows into the Thames.

However, its usually used in reference to fleet ditch being used as a sewer throughout history.

So if someone talks about a fleet ditch, they probably mean open sewers or pooping in rivers.

Matthew Flinders is arguably most famous for being the first to circumnavigate the Australian continent. Between December 1801 and June 1803, Flinders charted the entire coastline of Australia.

Australia was previously known as New Holland, and Flinders first proposed the name "Terra Australis", which became "Australia", the name adopted in 1824.

The first working television was made my John Logie Baird, a Scottish engineer living in England. Using the world's first video camera, he demonstrated his "Televisor" television in a department store in London during March 1925.

This same system was later used by the BBC to begin the first public broadacsts from their London studios. The Televisor was sold commercially and the system remained in operation until 1936 when the BBC changed to a higher definition format.

Originally, it was recommended that the First Fleet would settle at Botany Bay, where it arrived on 18 January 1788. However, Captain Arthur Phillip immediately determined that there was insufficient fresh water, an absence of usable timber, poor quality soil and no safe harbour at Botany Bay. He sailed north, seeking a better site for settlement, and decided Port Jackson met the immediate needs of the colonists. Thus the fleet was moved to Port Jackson, and thence on to Sydney Cove, arriving on 26 January 1788.

Portsmouth.

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