It might be surprising to many, but the first Europeans to settle in Australia were actually petty criminals or, as they were known then, convicts. It may seem like a tragic beginning, but these prisoners took the opportunity to be exiled to a faraway land to start a new life. From a struggling and starving penal colony, they began to build a nation. There are many stories of courage, resilience, and ingenuity that tell how people found a new life.