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European 'Discovery' of Australia
European discovery and the colonisation of Australia was first recorded in 1606. But it was in 1770 when James Cook charted the land and was first to claim the land under instruction of King George III of England. -
First Fleet
Lead by Captian Arthur Phillps the First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay between 18 and 20 January 1788. The ship held 1487 people abord, including 759 convicts. However, Botany Bay was deemed to be unsuitable for settlement and they moved north to Port Jackson on 26 January 1788. Governor Phillip carried instructions to establish the first British Colony in Australia. -
Colonisation of Norfolk Island
The day after the First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay, Lieutenant Philip Gidley King began selecting the handful of men and women whose fate it would be to colonise Norfolk Island. -
Sarah Island
Sarah Island becam a penal sttlement on the 1st of January 1822. Altogether about 1200 men and women were sentenced or sent to Sarah Island. The Majority of them had committed further offences while serving their original sentences. This isolated island was a Penal Settlement between 1822 and 1833. -
Cascade Female Factory
The Cascade Female Factory was built in 1828 and operated til 1856. 3750 female convicts are known to have spent time here, either serving a sentence, awaiting assignments or awaiting confinement. -
Port Arthur
Originally designed as a replacement for the recently closed timber camp at Birches Bay, Port Arthur quickly grew in importance within the penal system of the colonies. Port Arthur is quickly given the reputation of being one of Australia most one of Australia most unpleasent prisons. Port Arthur was a secondary punishment system. There were many different areas of Port Arthur, including the Industrial Prison and activities such as ship building, which was thought to reform the convicts. -
Commandant of Port Arthur
Captian Charles O'Hara Booth became the first commandant of the Port Arthur penal settlement on 1st January 1833. -
Abolishment Of The Penal Servitude Act
The Penal Servitude Act abolished transportation for woman, they no longer had to live in fear of penal servitude. This was abolished in all cases and provided that in all cases a person who would otherwise have been liable to transportation would be liable to penal servitude instead. Penal Servitude was a term of imprisonment that usually included hard labour. The men weren't o lucky and the law still stood for them -
Private Executions
The act was passed to stop the brutailty of executions and for them to be instead inside prison walls. The public themselves could not deal with he brutality of the executions and it is said society became more civilised because of this law. -
Last Convict Ship
On the 10th of July 1868 the last convict ship arrived in Australia carrying prissoners, it landed in Western Australia. -
Closure of Port Arthur
On 29th July 1877 Port Arthur offically closed as penal colony. No more convicts were transported there for their punishment. Years later it was opened as a tourist attraction, and is officially a historic site, to decipt to the public the lives the convicts lived and the horrors they went through. -
Last Hanging
The last person to be legally hanged in Australia was Ronald Ryan he was found guilty of shooting and killing a police officer. After this the law was passed to know longer use captial punishment as it was seen as cruel and unjust.
