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Which part of Australia was used as a penal colony?

Which part of Australia was used as a penal colony?

There were two major convict colonies: New South Wales (1788-1840) and Van Diemen’s Land (later Tasmania, 1803-1853). Eventually, Swan River (Western Australia) would become a third penal colony when the failing settlement requested an injection of convict labourers (1850-1868).

Was Australia originally started as a penal colony?

Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally planned as a penal colony. In October 1786, the British government appointed Arthur Phillip captain of the HMS Sirius, and commissioned him to establish an agricultural work camp there for British convicts.

Why did NSW become a penal colony?

The penal colony of New South Wales was founded as a way for the British Government to deal with the massive overcrowding in British prisons and prison ships. When the ‘First Fleet’ arrived it included about 850 convicts and their Marine guards and officers.

What was Australia called before it was called Australia?

Terra Australis
Change of name After British colonisation, the name New Holland was retained for several decades and the south polar continent continued to be called Terra Australis, sometimes shortened to Australia.

What are the 7 penal colonies?

The Bureau shall carry out its functions through its divisions and its seven (7) Penal institutions namely—New Bilibid Prisons, Correctional Institution for Women, Iwahig, Davao, San Ramon and Sablayan Prisons and Penal Farms and the Leyte Regional Prisons.

Was all of the Australian land was Colonised in 1788?

From 1788, Australia was treated by the British as a colony of settlement, not of conquest. Aboriginal land was taken over by British colonists on the premise that the land belonged to no-one (‘terra nullius’).

When was Australia first called Australia?

It was the English explorer Matthew Flinders who made the suggestion of the name we use today. He was the first to circumnavigate the continent in 1803, and used the name ‘Australia’ to describe the continent on a hand drawn map in 1804.

When did the last convicts arrive in Australia?

January 9, 1868
The Hougoumont, the last ship to take convicts from the UK to Australia, docked in Fremantle, Western Australia, on January 9, 1868 – 150 years ago. It brought an end to a process which deposited about 168,000 convicted prisoners in Australia after it began in 1788.

Was Western Australia a convict colony?

The convict era of Western Australia was the period during which Western Australia was a penal colony of the British Empire. Between 1850 and 1868, 9,721 convicts were transported to Western Australia on 43 convict ship voyages.

What happened to the convicts when they arrived in Australia?

Free settlers were moving to Australia, and convicts were increasingly employed to work for them. As convicts either finished their sentence, or were pardoned, they were able to earn a living and sustain themselves through jobs and land grants. They could then be given a ticket-of-leave or pardon.

Why is Australia called Oz?

When Aus or Aussie, the short form for an Australian, is pronounced for fun with a hissing sound at the end, it sounds as though the word being pronounced has the spelling Oz. Hence Australia in informal language is referred to as Oz.

When did Western Australia become a penal colony?

A day which is now celebrated as Australia Day. Other penal colonies were established in Queensland (1824) and Tasmania (1803). Western Australia was founded as a free colony in 1829, but it began receiving convicts in 1850. The transportation of convicts to penal colonies stopped in 1868 as protests throughout the territory intensified.

Where is the International Harvester Company of Australia?

Located on the corner with Balston Street at 171-205 City Road, South Melbourne, the International Harvester Company of Australia officially opened Harvester House as its new Australian head office on 22 May 1939. From 1926 to 1936, the same building had been the Australian headquarters of General Motors Australia and General Motors-Holden’s.

Where did the British send their convicts to Australia?

Convicts who found their way to the penal colonies of Australia weren’t just from the UK and Ireland. They were sent there from New Zealand, too. New Zealand became a British colony in 1840, and by 1843, they were shipping their convicts off to Australia.

When did Western Australia become a free colony?

Western Australia was founded as a free colony in 1829, but it began receiving convicts in 1850. The transportation of convicts to penal colonies stopped in 1868 as protests throughout the territory intensified. After being emancipated, ex-convicts stayed in Australia, with some becoming prominent individuals in society.

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Ruth Doyle