Convict Australia

Join me as I chat to Santilla Chingaipe about her documentary Our African Roots which will premier on SBS, Sunday, October 17 at 8:30 pm. The documentary reveals how Australian’s of African descent have helped shape Australia’s history for more than 200 years - from the First Fleet to the Eureka Rebellion, and from the Anzacs to Don Bradman’s Invincible’s.  I chat to her about three convicts...

This is the story of six Fenian prisoners who had been transported to Australia as convicts arriving in 1868.  While they toiled away, their mates in America devised a cunning plan to rescue them.  In 1876 they executed one of the most daring prison breaks in Australian history.  LINKS Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners : www.jennifer-twemlow.com Su...

The last ship to transport convicts to Australia was the Hougoumont which arrived in 1868.  Onboard were 279 male convicts - 62 of whom were political prisoners from Ireland known as Fenians.  This is the story of one of those men - John Boyle O'Reilly, a poet, journalist, author and activist.  Join me as I retell the story of his epic escape from New Holland to New York. Trigger wa...

On 4 January 1815 the convict ship, Francis & Eliza, was captured by the Americans on their way to Australia.   LINKS Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners : www.jennifer-twemlow.com Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter: https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia Join the conversation on our Facebook & Inst...

This is the extraordinary story of Constable Joseph Luker who was murdered on 26 August 1803, and of Joseph Samuels who was sentenced to be hanged but escaped the noose three times.  Listen to how the lives of Luker and Samuels collided one fateful night and why both men will be remembered in Australian history. LINKS Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners : www....

In 1831, eleven convicts captured the Caledonia and kidnapped its Captain, and sailed to the South Pacific. LINKS Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners : www.jennifer-twemlow.com Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter: https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:...

This is the story of Thomas Drewery, a man who was accused of theft, found guilty and sentenced to 7 years transportation for a crime he did not commit.  This is about his fight to clear his name. LINKS Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners : www.jennifer-twemlow.com Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter: https://www.p...

Life onboard the early convict transportation ships could be brutal.  The mortality rate was often high.  Dr Heather Clarke describes the conditions of these early voyages and the turning point that brought about better conditions for convicts.  She also discusses a much-loved form of exercise on the ships - dancing and music. LINKS www.colonialdance.com.au https://www.facebook.com/earlycolonialda...

Vicious, savage dogs and shark-infested waters could not stop convicts from making their escape from Port Arthur.  Martin Cash and George 'Billy' Hunt are just two convicts who attempted the pass at Eaglehawk Neck in Tasmania. LINKS Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners : www.jennifer-twemlow.com Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Austr...

Historian Gay Hendriksen joins us to talk about the Parramatta Female Factory. The Parramatta Female Factory was one of thirteen factories around Australia that housed convict women. Between 1821 and 1848 it was a penitentiary, a hospital for women, a workplace, a marriage bureau and a refuge for women, children, and the sick and elderly women of the colony. It was designed by Francis Greenway and...

This is the story of the Surry - a ship that transported convicts to Port Jackson in 1814.  During the voyage, there was an outbreak of Typhus that devastated the people on board. SOURCES The Convict Ships, 1787 – 1868 , by Charles Bateson Netweather Community, 1814: A cold year with a severe winter. https://www.netweather.tv/forum/topic/33631-1814-a-cold-year-with-a-severe-winter/ The Free Dictio...

Convict Indents, Surgeon Journals, Tickets of Leave, Certificates of Freedom and Pardons are some of the primary sources available when researching convicts.  In this episode, we explore these documents - what they are, what they can tell us and where we can find them.  We explore the different types of Indents and Pardons and the abbreviations used. SOURCES Convicts and Convict Administration Gui...

Stephen Gow, author of 'From Distress to Deliverance, the life and times of William Gow; convict, schoolmaster, farmer', talks about his research and shines a light on the education system for the children of convicts and free settlers.  We learn about the remarkable story of William Gow who was convicted of burglary and sentenced to hang at the Old Bailey in 1816 and somehow escaped the noose to...

In this episode, we explore common types of punishments that convict men could receive if they stepped out of line - flogging, the treadmill, leg irons, solitary confinement and banishment to penal settlements. SOURCES · ‘ Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners’ by Jennifer Twemlow · ‘ Convicts & The Colonies, A study of Penal Transportation from Great Britain & Ireland to A...

This episode is about a convict transportation ship named the Amphitrite that was shipwrecked on its journey out to Australia.  We delve into what life was like on the voyage and how it all went horribly wrong. SOURCES The Convict Ships, 1787 – 1868, by Charles Bateson Most Perfectly Safe: the convict shipwreck disasters of 1833-42 by G.A. Mawer Music by Ahjay Stelino LINKS Support Convict Austral...