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The
Settlement of Australia
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A closer look at 'Convict Ships' and their effect on the beginning of Australia!
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'Charles Bateson's "The Convict Ships 1787-1868" is regarded as the definitive guide to Australia's period of transportation. Information is given about voyages to New South Wales, Tasmania, Norfolk Island and Western Australia and accounts range from the life on board for both crew and convict right through to records of deaths, numbers of convicts, and the length of each voyage." *Find out more here |
The convicts were place on ships below decks in the prison deck. There, they were shackled and chained, only allowed on deck for fresh air and exercise. There was very little space on these ships and you can imagine how cramped it became. As these voyages became more frequent, procedures were developed and surgeons were supplied with explicit instructions as to how life on board was to be organised. By then, the charterers were also paid a bonus to land the prisoners safe and sound at the end of the voyage. Usually the voyage "took eight months, six of them at sea and two in ports for supplies and repairs" (Inglis).
Each ship had a name and a Roman Numeral so each could be identified. Some of the ships had the same name so this is why the Roman Numerals were used. Once ports became more readily available in Australia and the ships becmae more effecient, coming from England the transports may have stopped off at Gibraltar, a port in the West Indies, South America, the Cape of Good Hope, and any one of the Australian penal settlements.
If you are interested in finding out more about these convict ships you can click on this link and read up abou the many ships that took these voyages.
LINKS
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