Convicts transported to Australia were overwhelmingly from Great Britain and Ireland, primarily English (around 70%), followed by Irish (about 25%), and a smaller percentage of Scottish and Welsh, with a few from other British colonies or even France and America. Most came from industrializing cities for crimes like theft, though some were political prisoners, soldiers, or from other colonies.
Between 1788 and 1842 about 80,000 convicts were transported to New South Wales. Of these, approximately 85% were men and 15% were women. Almost two thirds of convicts were English (along with a small number of Scottish and Welsh), with the Irish making up the remaining one third.
Between 1788 and 1868 more than 162,000 convicts were transported to Australia. Of these, about 7,000 arrived in 1833 alone. The convicts were transported as punishment for crimes committed in Britain and Ireland.
Convicts who were transported were usually poor, often from the large industrial cities and were mostly from England (with a large minority from Ireland and Scotland). The First Fleet of 11 ships, commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip, set up a convict settlement at Sydney Cove (now Circular Quay) on 26 January 1788.
Transportation did not cease until 1868, but it had been effectively stopped as a sentence in 1857 and had become unusual well before that date. During its 80-year history 158,702 convicts arrived in Australia from England and Ireland, as well as 1,321 from other parts of the Empire.
Far more Australians are descended from assisted immigrants than from convicts, the majority of Colonial Era settlers being British and Irish. About 20 percent of Australians are descendants of convicts. Most of the first Australian settlers came from London, the Midlands and the North of England, and Ireland.
Captain Arthur Phillip RN was the commander of the First Fleet of 11 ships that sailed into Botany Bay, New South Wales, in January 1788. Three days later he chose a site at nearby Sydney Cove, in Port Jackson, and on 26 January began to establish a convict settlement.
The first European Australians came from United Kingdom and Ireland. The First white child born in New South Wales was Rebecca Small (22 September 1789 – 30 January 1883), was born in Port Jackson, the eldest daughter of John Small a boatswain in the First Fleet which arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788.
Early in the book she states, “I have been able to conclusively identify at least ten people of African descent” who were convicts on the First Fleet, based on their archival description.
It is probable that the pressing need to solve the problem of Britain's overcrowded gaols was the main consideration in the decision to send convicts to Australia. However, it is often argued that imperial considerations provided a further motivation for establishing a colony in New South Wales.
South Australia was an experimental British colony and the only Australian colony which did not officially take convicts. But naturally some former convicts made their way to South Australia. Men who had completed their sentences came to settle here, usually hiding their convict past if possible.
Before 1788, the continent we call Australia was known by different names, primarily "New Holland" by the Dutch (who explored its west and north coasts) and the theoretical "Terra Australis Incognita" (Unknown Southern Land) by Europeans; the British later named the east coast "New South Wales" in 1770, leading to a mix of these names until Matthew Flinders successfully promoted "Australia" in the early 1800s.
Samuel Terry (c. 1776 – 22 February 1838) was an English man who was transported to Australia as a criminal, where he became a wealthy landowner, merchant and philanthropist. His extreme wealth made him by far the richest man in the colony with wealth comparable to the richer people in England.
Modern DNA studies suggest that Australian Aboriginal people, Papua New Guinean highlanders and the Mamanawa people of the Philippines were all descended from the same group who left Africa, and settled in different places after a journey of several thousand years.
Vegemite is banned in some Australian prisons, particularly Victoria's, because inmates used its yeast to brew alcohol and smear it on drugs to confuse narcotics dogs, despite the yeast being inactive. While prisoners argue it's a cultural right and essential for wellbeing, officials cite security concerns over potential homebrew and drug interference, leading to bans under "Contraband" policies, notes The New York Times.
About 85–90% of the population identifies as ethnically white (meaning of European ancestry), but this is actually a compilation of several ethnic categories. Around 25% identify as white Australian, while 26% identify as English, and the rest are a mixture of various European ethnicities ranging from Dutch to Greek.
Aboriginal peoples. The Aboriginal peoples, together with the peoples of the Torres Strait Islands who are ethnically and culturally distinct, are the original inhabitants of Australia. Archaeologists believe they have been there for around 40-60,000 years.
The estimated total number of slaves who disembarked is as follows:
On the First Fleet of 1788, at least 15 convicts were of African descent. By 1840 the number had risen to almost 500.
Some are near-white like the F1; but none darker than either parent have been seen. Study of the various crosses leads to the conclusion that a single main gene for melanin in the skin is present in the aborigines, together with a minor gene which alone produces brunet-white skin colour.
The first horses that came to Australia arrived on the Lady Penrhyn with the First Fleet in 1788 and thus began horse racing. Horse racing became well established in and around Sydney by 1810. The first official race was organised by officers of Governor Macquarie's 73rd Regiment and held at Hyde Park.
Australian ancestry is diverse, predominantly rooted in British (English, Irish, Scottish) origins, but with significant contributions from other European nations and growing Asian and other ancestries, reflecting waves of immigration since colonization, with large segments identifying as simply "Australian" due to shared cultural heritage and mixed European descent, alongside the crucial Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage.
Australia's most famous prisoners often blur the line between outlaw hero and notorious criminal, with Ned Kelly (the legendary bushranger) and the cannibal convict Alexander Pearce being top contenders for historical notoriety, while modern figures like gangland boss Carl Williams and career criminal Lenny McPherson also hold infamy.
After Dutch navigators charted the northern, western and southern coasts of Australia during the 17th Century this newly found continent became known as 'New Holland'. It was the English explorer Matthew Flinders who suggested the name we use today.
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.