How did the Australian penal colony work?
Most convicts in Western Australia spent very little time in prison. Those who were stationed at Fremantle were housed in the Convict Establishment, the colony’s convict prison, and misbehaviour was punished by stints there. The majority, however, were stationed in other parts of the colony.
How did convicts contribute to the development of Australia?
Many were skilled carpenters, blacksmiths or cobblers (shoemakers). , convicts worked to turn large wooden logs into smaller timber planks for buildings. They also made doors, window frames, shutters and roof shingles. Down at the edge of Sydney Harbour, convicts built boats and made rope and sails for ships.
What jobs did convicts do in Australia?
Convicts were a source of labour to build roads, bridges, courthouses, hospitals and other public buildings, or to work on government farms, while educated convicts may have been given jobs such as record-keeping for the government administration. Female convicts, on the other hand, were generally employed as domestic …
What was life like in Australian penal colony?
Convicts were often quite comfortable. They lived in two or three roomed houses, shared with fellow convicts or with a family. They had tables and chairs, cooked dinner (like pea and ham soup) over a fireplace and ate their food on china crockery using silver cutlery!
How long was Australia a penal colony?
1793: First free settlers arrive at Botany Bay. From 1788 – 1823 the New South Wales colony is officially a penal colony. The population consists of mostly convicts, marines and their wives.
What were the reactions of convicts when they arrived in Australia?
Convict attitudes to locals readily turned negative. In New South Wales Aboriginal peoples were rewarded for returning runaway convicts. There and in Van Diemen’s Land runaways often clashed with indigenous Australians over food resources.
What were the conditions like on the hulks?
The poor sanitation and cramped conditions meant that infection could spread particularly quickly. From the first introduction of the hulks, diseases such as Cholera, Dysentery and Typhus were rife. The convict mortality rate was exceptionally high – about a third perished in the first few years.
What conditions did convicts experience?
For newly arrived convicts, the environment of Sydney was strange and very different to what they were used to. During summer, days of unbearable heat were often followed by ferocious thunderstorms and torrential rain.
When was the first penal colony established in Australia?
Other penal colonies were established in Queensland (1824) and Tasmania (1803). Western Australia was founded as a free colony in 1829, but it began receiving convicts in 1850.
How were convicts dismissed from the Australian penal colonies?
Another way that convicts were dismissed from the penal colonies was through pardons. A conditional pardon could be issued, but the convict would be required to stay in Australia as a free citizen. An absolute pardon, on the other hand, allowed the prisoners to return to England (or wherever they chose to go).
What was life like in Australia’s penal colonies?
As the penal colonies of Botany Bay and Sydney spread into Australia’s rural regions, the trades of a Western civilisation became sought after. Now, not just carpenters, smiths and farmers were in demand, but housemaids, nannies, porters and other servants were required for the free migrants seeking their fortune in a new country.
When did Western Australia become a free colony?
Western Australia was founded as a free colony in 1829, but it began receiving convicts in 1850. The transportation of convicts to penal colonies stopped in 1868 as protests throughout the territory intensified.