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

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Start your search for your convict ancestors:

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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