In 1834, ten convicts seized the Frederick and made their daring escape from the penal settlement on Sarah Island in Tasmania to the Port of Valdivia in Chile. The journey took about 7 weeks.  They travelled 6 thousand nautical miles with a skeletal mostly inexperienced crew using a leaky boat.  This is their incredible story.

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:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

Start your search for your convict ancestors:

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

SOURCES

1834 'ANOTHER GOVERNMENT VESSEL TAKEN BY HER GOVERNMENT CREW! ANOTHER SPECIMEN OF COLONEL ARTHUR'S PRISON DISCIPLINE.', The Colonist and Van Diemen's Land Commercial and Agricultural Advertiser (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1832 - 1834), 11 February, p. 2. , viewed 11 Sep 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article201158097

1834 'THE CONVICT SYSTEM. DARING ACT OF PIRACY.', The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), 6 March, p. 2. , viewed 10 Sep 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12848817

1837 'SUPREME COURT.—CRIMINAL SITTINGS.', Colonial Times (Hobart, Tas. : 1828 - 1857), 2 May, p. 5. , viewed 16 Sep 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8650013

2018, ‘The Ship That Never Was.’, by A. Courtenay, Harper Collins Publishers Australia Pty Limited

THANK YOU

Special thanks to Sue Reed.

Music by Ahjay Stelino

When word reached England that the colony of NSW was in dire need of food King George III immediately dispatched HMS Guardian to come to their rescue.  The Guardian was packed with everything the First Fleeters desperately needed, but along the way, the 140ft ship ran into trouble.  Join me as I describe its harrowing journey. 

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:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

Start your search for your convict ancestors:

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

SOURCES

1790, ‘Fortunate Escape of the Guardian Man of War, In her Voyage to Botany-Bay’, The Derby Mercury, Thursday, 29 April 1790, viewed 3 January 2022, www.newspapers.com/image/394415900

1790, ‘The Guardian’, The Public Advertiser, London, Friday, 30 April 1790, viewed 3 January 2022, www.newspapers.com/image/34415081

1790, ‘Guardian’, The Public Advertiser, London, Saturday, 1 May 1790, viewed 3 January 2022, www.newspapers.com/image/34415103

1790, Jacksons Oxford Journal, Saturday, 1 May 1790, viewed 3 January 2022, www.newspapers.com/image/396531048

1790, Ipswich Journal (Ipswich, Suffolk, England), Saturday, 1 May 1790, viewed 3 January 2022 www.newspapers.com/image/396394146 & www.newspapers.com/image/396394185

1790, ‘The Guardian’, The Public Advertiser (London, Greater London, England), Friday, 30 April 1790, viewed 3 January 2022, www.newspapers.com/image/34415081

1808, ‘Melancholy Disaster of His Majesty's Ship The Guardian, Bound to Botany Bay with Stores and Convicts’, by Lieut. Riou, Commander, London.

2010 ‘1788: The brutal truth of the First Fleet.’, by David Hill, Random House Australia, North Sydney.

THANK YOU

Special thanks to Sue Reed.

Music by Ahjay Stelino

In 1828, 14,000 pounds was stolen from the Bank of Australia – that’s about 20 million dollars by today’s standards AND most of the money has never been found! Join me as I retell this incredible story of a group of convicts who tunnelled their way into the bank and pulled off such a huge heist.

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:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

Start your search for your convict ancestors:

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

SOURCES

1828 'Classified Advertising', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 17 September, p. 1. , viewed 15 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2191066

1828 'EXTENSIVE ROBBERY AT THE BANK OF AUSTRALIA.', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 17 September, p. 2. , viewed 15 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2191067

1828 '(Domestic Intelligence continued.)', The Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 - 1838), 20 September, p. 4. (AFTERNOON), viewed 16 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31760702

1828 'Classified Advertising', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 22 September, p. 1. , viewed 16 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2191083

1828 'Classified Advertising', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 24 September, p. 3. , viewed 16 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2191099

1828 'Advertising', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 24 September, p. 2. , viewed 16 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36865088

1828 'No title', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 26 September, p. 2. , viewed 16 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36867843

1831 'Supreme Court.', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 14 June, p. 3. , viewed 25 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2201024

1833 'Government Gazette Notices', New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), 7 August, p. 302. , viewed 27 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230390571

2017 ‘Robbing the Bank: Australia’s First Bank Robbery’, Radford, Neil, Dictionary of Sydney, http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/robbing_the_bank_australias_first_bank_robbery, viewed 09 Aug 2022

2008, ‘Breaking the Bank, an extraordinary colonial robbery’, Baxter, Carol, Allen & Unwin

Music by Ahjay Stelino

Historian Solomon Stanton shares his research on his ancestor John Matthew Richardson. John was a convict who was sentenced to 7 years transportation and had an incredible life as a gardener and botanical collector for the colony. Solomon describes some of the highlights of John’s life which include his time working in the Sydney Botanic Gardens, his stint on Melville Island, various expeditions both in and out of Australia, and the discovery of new plants. Two plants were named after John - the Hibiscus Richardsonii and Alyxia Richardsonii.

FURTHER READING

'Richardson, John Matthew (1797–1882)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/richardson-john-matthew-2588/text3549, published first in hardcopy 1967.

'Richardson, John Matthew (c.1797–1882)', Global Plants, JSTOR, https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.person.bm000391636

‘Newsletter, No. 112 September 2002’, Australian Systematic Botany Society, https://asbs.org.au/newsletter/pdf/02-sept-112.pdf, page 3.

‘Flora of Australia, Volume 1, Introduction 2ndEdition’, Australian Biological Resources Study, CSIRO Publishing, https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/env/pages/5822457a-1744-4aaa-a5e0-74dc485f825d/files/flora-australia-01-introduction-second-edition-2.pdf, page 66.

‘The British in North Australia 1824-29 : Fort Dundas’ by Derek Pugh, Published by Derek Pugh 2017, https://www.booktopia.com.au/fort-dundas-derek-pugh/book/9780992355869.html?source=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8uOWBhDXARIsAOxKJ2EAYmo5lKChSbwJWPm5XWxCCcElEoclB0ltLE9rGnpsVidZ6ZjpkCQaAoL1EALw_wcB

‘Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia; with descriptions of the recently explored region of Australia Felix and the present colony of New South Wales’, by Major T.L. Mitchell, F.G.S and M.R.G.S. Surveyor General, Second Edition, Volume 2, London, T. and W.Boone, New Bond Street, https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks/e00036.html

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:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

Start your search for your convict ancestors:

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

THANK YOU

Special thanks to Solomon Staunton.

Music by Ahjay Stelino

The Neva was a three-masted barque carrying hundreds of female convicts and their children from Ireland to Port Jackson.  In 1835 it stuck the Harbinger Reefs near King Island in the treacherous waters of the Bass Strait.  Join me as I recount this tragic story.

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:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

Start your search for your convict ancestors:

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

SOURCES

1835 'MELANCHOLY SHIPWRECK.', Launceston Advertiser (Tas. : 1829 - 1846), 2 July, p. 4. , viewed 23 Jan 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84777543

1835 'PARTICULARS OF THE WRECK OF THE Prison Ship "NEVA."', The Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 - 1838), 18 July, p. 2. (MORNING), viewed 23 Jan 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32149374

1835 'Van Dieman's Land News.', The Colonist (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 1840), 23 July, p. 5. , viewed 23 Jan 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31716763

1959, ‘The Convict Ships, 1787 – 1868’, by Charles Bateson.,Brown, Son & Ferguson, Ltd., Glasgow

1997, ‘Most Perfectly Safe: the convict shipwreck disasters of 1833-42’ by G.A. Mawer, Allen & Unwin

‘View Shipwreck – Neva’, Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database, viewed 18 June 2022, http://www.environment.gov.au/shipwreck/public/wreck/wreck.do?key=7542

2013, ‘The Wreck of the Neva’, by K. Todd, Mercier Press

THANK YOU

Special thanks to Sue Reed, Mark Blakey & Cameron Stops.

Music by Ahjay Stelino

What happened when the convicts on Norfolk Island were stripped of their cooking pots? A bloodthirsty riot! Join me as I retell this gruesome true story about Alexander Maconochie’s ‘Mark System’, William Westwood better known as ‘Jackey Jackey the gentleman bushranger’ and his fight to be treated humanely.

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:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

Start your search for your convict ancestors:

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

SOURCES

1846 'NORFOLK ISLAND.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 8 August, p. 2. , viewed 11 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12889016

1846 'DISTURBANCES AT NORFOLK ISLAND.', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 8 August, p. 3. , viewed 11 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37156047

1846 'Domestic Intelligence.', Colonial Times (Hobart, Tas. : 1828 - 1857), 25 August, p. 3. , viewed 11 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8759148

1846 'NORFOLK ISLAND.', The Courier (Hobart, Tas. : 1840 - 1859), 2 September, p. 2. , viewed 28 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2944991

1846 'No Title', The Hobart Town Advertiser (Tas. : 1839 - 1861), 4 September, p. 2. , viewed 25 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article264517227

1846 'NORFOLK ISLAND.', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 14 November, p. 3. , viewed 28 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37127840

1888 'CHAPTER OF OLD TIMES.', Launceston Examiner (Tas. : 1842 - 1899), 12 June, p. 3. , viewed 28 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38316723

2005, 'Westwood, William (1820–1846)', M. Rutledge, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, viewed 29 May 2022, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/westwood-william-13246/text6635

2011, ‘Alexander Maconochie’s ‘mark system.’, J. Moore, CORE: three access levels to underpin open access. D-Lib Magazine, viewed 28 May 2022, https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/323897824.pdf

2021, ‘The Norfolk Island Penal Station, the Panopticon, and Alexander Maconochie’s and Jeremy Bentham’s Theories of Punishment’, T. Causer, Revue d’études benthamiennes [Online], viewed 28 May 2022, http://journals.openedition.org/etudes-benthamiennes/838

Special thanks to Sue Reed.

Music by Ahjay Stelino

This is the true story of convict First Fleeter, Mary Bryant.  In March 1791 Mary, her husband, their two infant children and 6 other convicts made a daring escape from the fledgling colony of NSW.  In a tiny boat, they managed to make it all the way to Timor.

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:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

Start your search for your convict ancestors:

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

SOURCES

1910 'An Account of the English colony in New South Wales by David Collins 1756 - 1810'. Edited, with an introduction, and notes by James Collier, https://archive.org/details/b1182480/page/112/mode/2up, viewed 2 April 2022

1963 ‘The Transportation, Escape and Pardoning of Mary Bryant (Nee Broad)’, by C. H. Currey, Angus & Robertson Ltd

2000 ‘Two Classic Tales of Australian exploration: 1788, by Watkin Tench; Life and Adventures, by John Nicol’, edited & introduced by Tim Flannery, Text Publishing Company, Melbourne

2015 ‘Charlotte’, Dictionary of Sydney, Cameron, Michaela Ann, http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/charlotte, viewed 19 May 2022

2015-2016, ‘Convict Hulks’, Digital Panopticon, by Samuel Hadfield, https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/Convict_Hulks, viewed 2 April 2022

Special thanks to Sue Reed and Robert Twemlow.

Music by Ahjay Stelino

Join me as I talk to Matthew Bateman-Graham, a tour guide at Fremantle Prison – a UNESCO World Heritage site for convicts in Western Australia.  Matthew talks about how Fremantle Prison came to be, the types of convicts that were sent over, their skills and routine.  Plus, he discusses some of the extraordinary escapees such as Moondyne Joe and much more.

LINKS

Fremantle Prison

https://fremantleprison.com.au/

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:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

Start your search for your convict ancestors:

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

Special thanks to Matthew Bateman-Graham, Amberlee Hong & Julie Hemen.

Music by Ahjay Stelino

Join me as I talk to Tammy Reardon about the Isle of the Dead – the final resting place for convicts who died at Port Arthur. Tammy has been conducting tours at the Isle of the Dead and Port Arthur Historic Site for over 15 years. She shares with us stories about the Island, convicts and free settlers associated with the site such as Henry Savery, the Staveley family and the last gravedigger, Mark Jeffery.

LINKS

The Isle of the Dead Cemetery Tour:

https://portarthur.org.au/tour/isle-of-the-dead/

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:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

Start your search for your convict ancestors:

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

1967 ‘SAVERY, HENRY (1791-1842)’ Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, viewed 7 April 2022, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/savery-henry-2632

1985 ‘THE ISLE OF THE DEAD, PORT ARTHUR’, Richard Lord & Partners, R. Lord

1995 'DEATH AND BURIAL AT PORT ARTHUR', L Ross, Honours thesis, UT.

2017-2020 ‘JEFFERY, MARK, 1825-1903’, Digital Panopticon, B. Godfrey, viewed 7 April 2022, https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/Jeffrey,_Mark,_1825-1903

2021 ‘ONE WOMAN IS REVEALING THE STORIES OF CONVICTS, SETTLERS BURIED ON THE ISLE OF THE DEAD’, ABC News, L. Gwynn, viewed 7 April 2022, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-11/discovering-the-stories-of-those-buried-on-the-isle-of-the-dead/100527502

Special thanks to Tammy Reardon.

Music by Ahjay Stelino

In 1787 the First Fleet began the epic journey to Australia with about 1500 hungry mouths to feed but only two years supply of food.  This episode talks about the First Fleeters struggle to survive with depleting food stores, poor soil to grow crops and limited availability to wild foods.

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:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

Start your search for your convict ancestors:

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

SOURCES

1959 The Convict Ships, 1787 – 1868, by Charles Bateson.,Brown, Son & Ferguson, Ltd., Glasgow

2015 ‘First Fleet Surgeon: the voyage of Arthur Bowes Smyth.’, David Hill, Canberra, ACT, National Library of Australia

2000 ‘Two Classic Tales of Australian exploration: 1788, by Watkin Tench; Life and Adventures, by John Nicol’, edited & introduced by Tim Flannery, Text Publishing Company, Melbourne

2010 ‘1788: The brutal truth of the First Fleet.’, by David Hill, Random House Australia, North Sydney.

2021, Discover SLM Talk: First Fleet fare, with Dr Jacqui Newling, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu9mipK2VrQ, viewed 10 December 2021

‘Barrett, Thomas (c. 1758-1788)’, People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/barrett-thomas-30158/text37432, viewed 1 December 2021

Special thanks to Sue Reed and Dane Sharpe.

Music by Ahjay Stelino