Episodes

  • In the thrilling second episode of Season 4 of the Convict Australia Podcast, we journey back to 1825 to a stormy night in Tasmania as Matthew Brady and his infamous gang of bushrangers lay siege to the small town of Sorell.

    As the rain poured and the night deepened, Brady knocked on the door of Robert Bethune’s estate, launching a daring raid that spiralled into a full-scale takeover. Hear the gripping tale of how these outlaws, driven by desperation and cunning, outwitted local authorities and took control of the town.

    Feel the tension as they ambush unsuspecting soldiers and confront Lieutenant William Gunn, leading to a brutal injury and a race against time. Will Brady's luck hold out, or will justice finally catch up to him? Dive into this gripping tale of audacity, survival, and the relentless pursuit of freedom in the wild heart of Tasmania.

    SOURCES

    1825 'POLICE OFFICE, HOBART TOWN, February 23d, 1825.', Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser (Tas. : 1821 - 1825), 4 March, p. 1. (Supplementto the Hobart Town Gazette), viewed 05 Jun 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1090576

    1825 'THE BUSHRANGERS.', The Hobart Town Gazette (Tas. : 1825 - 1833), 26 November, p. 2. , viewed 05 Jun 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8791594

    1825 'THE BUSH-RANGERS.', Colonial Times and Tasmanian Advertiser (Hobart, Tas. : 1825 - 1827), 2 December, p. 3. , viewed 02 Jul 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2446676

    1825 'STATE OF THE WEATHER.', The Hobart Town Gazette (Tas. : 1825 - 1833), 3 December, p. 2. , viewed 05 Jun 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8790870

    1825 'VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 29 December, p. 4. , viewed 30 Jun 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37072554

    1826 'VAN DIEMEN'S LAND NEWS.', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 25 March, p. 2. , viewed 19 Jul 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37072668

    1826 'SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.', The Hobart Town Gazette (Tas. : 1825 - 1833), 15 April, p. 2. , viewed 19 Jul 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8791180

    1826 'The late Bushrangers.&c.', Colonial Times and Tasmanian Advertiser (Hobart, Tas. : 1825 - 1827), 5 May, p. 3. , viewed 03 Jul 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2447678

    L. L. Robson, 1966, Brady, Matthew (c. 1799–1826),Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, viewed on 12 June 2024, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/brady-matthew-1822/text2089

    LINKS

    Get your copy of Convict Australia, Extraordinary true stories of shipwrecks, riots, daring escapes and more.

    https://www.amazon.com.au/Convict-Australia-Extraordinary-stories-shipwrecks/dp/0648946819

    Get your copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners.https://www.amazon.com.au/Convict-Sydney-real-life-stories-prisoners-ebook/dp/B08C22QQMJ

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    ⁠https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia⁠

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866⁠

    ⁠https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Find Convict Australia on TikTok:

    https://www.tiktok.com/@convict.australia

  • On 21 March 1823, four convict men left Sydney in a 29ft open boat heading for the Five Islands to collect cedar. On the way, they encountered a fierce storm that pushed them out to sea and hundreds of miles north. This is the story of their remarkable fight for survival.

    LINKS

    Get your copy of Convict Australia, Extraordinary true stories of shipwrecks, riots, daring escapes and more.

    https://www.amazon.com.au/Convict-Australia-Extraordinary-stories-shipwrecks/dp/0648946819

    Get your copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners.https://www.amazon.com.au/Convict-Sydney-real-life-stories-prisoners-ebook/dp/B08C22QQMJ

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    SOURCES

    Pamphlet T & Uniacke, J. 1823 Narrative of ThomasPamphlet, aged thirty-four years, who was with two other men wrecked on the coast of New Holland in April, 1823, and lived among the natives for seven months. Taken down by John Uniacke, Esq. viewed 25 October 2023 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-62201287

    1823 MAGISTRATE FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. EDWARD WOLLSTONECRAFT, ESQUIRE., The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 18 December, p. 2. , viewed 04 Nov 2023, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2182462

    1824 CURIOUS CASE OF SHIPWRECK., The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 21 October, p. 2. , viewed 04 Nov 2023, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37072074

    1826 REVIEW., The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 29 March, p. 4. , viewed 22 Oct 2023, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2185549

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  • Ralph Entwhistle, a convict with a life sentence, stripped off for a quick dip in the Macquarie River in 1829.  This innocent act got him into a lot of trouble!  Join me as I tell the story of how one little swim on a beautiful spring day led to a high-stakes battle in Bathurst, NSW.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    SOURCES

    1830 'Classified Advertising', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 12 October, p. 4. , viewed 24 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2196245

    1830 'THE BUSHRANGERS AT BATHURST.', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 21 October, p. 3. , viewed 03 Oct 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2196308

    BATHURST. (1830, October 21). The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved October 8, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2196311

    1830 'Supreme Court.', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 11 November, p. 3. , viewed 01 Oct 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2196480

    1830 'The Courier.', The Hobart Town Courier (Tas. : 1827 - 1839), 27 November, p. 2. , viewed 07 Oct 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4206106

    1830 'The Bathurst Insurgents.', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 3 December, p. 4. , viewed 08 Oct 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36866853

    1930 'The RIBBON BOYS', The World's News (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 1955), 13 August, p. 9. , viewed 08 Oct 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136306522

    1998, “Bushrangers at Abercrombie caves” Abercrombie Caves, by Barry Cubitt, viewed 3 October 2022, http://www.abercrombiecaves.com/bushrangers/

    2019, “The Bathurst Rebellion: Inside Australia’s strangest convict uprising”, M. Adams, NewsComAu, viewed 30 May 2022, https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/the-bathurst-rebellion-inside-australias-biggest-convict-uprising/news-story/eaa006a6530a1b66ae128af86ddf7753

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • In 1834, ten convicts seized the Frederick and made their daring escape from the penal settlement on Sarah Island in Tasmania to the Port of Valdivia in Chile. The journey took about 7 weeks.  They travelled 6 thousand nautical miles with a skeletal mostly inexperienced crew using a leaky boat.  This is their incredible story.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    SOURCES

    1834 'ANOTHER GOVERNMENT VESSEL TAKEN BY HER GOVERNMENT CREW! ANOTHER SPECIMEN OF COLONEL ARTHUR'S PRISON DISCIPLINE.', The Colonist and Van Diemen's Land Commercial and Agricultural Advertiser (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1832 - 1834), 11 February, p. 2. , viewed 11 Sep 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article201158097

    1834 'THE CONVICT SYSTEM. DARING ACT OF PIRACY.', The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), 6 March, p. 2. , viewed 10 Sep 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12848817

    1837 'SUPREME COURT.—CRIMINAL SITTINGS.', Colonial Times (Hobart, Tas. : 1828 - 1857), 2 May, p. 5. , viewed 16 Sep 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8650013

    2018, ‘The Ship That Never Was.’, by A. Courtenay, Harper Collins Publishers Australia Pty Limited

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • When word reached England that the colony of NSW was in dire need of food King George III immediately dispatched HMS Guardian to come to their rescue.  The Guardian was packed with everything the First Fleeters desperately needed, but along the way, the 140ft ship ran into trouble.  Join me as I describe its harrowing journey. 

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    SOURCES

    1790, ‘Fortunate Escape of the Guardian Man of War, In her Voyage to Botany-Bay’, The Derby Mercury, Thursday, 29 April 1790, viewed 3 January 2022, www.newspapers.com/image/394415900

    1790, ‘The Guardian’, The Public Advertiser, London, Friday, 30 April 1790, viewed 3 January 2022, www.newspapers.com/image/34415081

    1790, ‘Guardian’, The Public Advertiser, London, Saturday, 1 May 1790, viewed 3 January 2022, www.newspapers.com/image/34415103

    1790, Jacksons Oxford Journal, Saturday, 1 May 1790, viewed 3 January 2022, www.newspapers.com/image/396531048

    1790, Ipswich Journal (Ipswich, Suffolk, England), Saturday, 1 May 1790, viewed 3 January 2022 www.newspapers.com/image/396394146 & www.newspapers.com/image/396394185

    1790, ‘The Guardian’, The Public Advertiser (London, Greater London, England), Friday, 30 April 1790, viewed 3 January 2022, www.newspapers.com/image/34415081

    1808, ‘Melancholy Disaster of His Majesty's Ship The Guardian, Bound to Botany Bay with Stores and Convicts’, by Lieut. Riou, Commander, London.

    2010 ‘1788: The brutal truth of the First Fleet.’, by David Hill, Random House Australia, North Sydney.

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • In 1828, 14,000 pounds was stolen from the Bank of Australia – that’s about 20 million dollars by today’s standards AND most of the money has never been found! Join me as I retell this incredible story of a group of convicts who tunnelled their way into the bank and pulled off such a huge heist.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    SOURCES

    1828 'Classified Advertising', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 17 September, p. 1. , viewed 15 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2191066

    1828 'EXTENSIVE ROBBERY AT THE BANK OF AUSTRALIA.', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 17 September, p. 2. , viewed 15 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2191067

    1828 '(Domestic Intelligence continued.)', The Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 - 1838), 20 September, p. 4. (AFTERNOON), viewed 16 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31760702

    1828 'Classified Advertising', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 22 September, p. 1. , viewed 16 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2191083

    1828 'Classified Advertising', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 24 September, p. 3. , viewed 16 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2191099

    1828 'Advertising', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 24 September, p. 2. , viewed 16 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36865088

    1828 'No title', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 26 September, p. 2. , viewed 16 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36867843

    1831 'Supreme Court.', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 14 June, p. 3. , viewed 25 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2201024

    1833 'Government Gazette Notices', New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), 7 August, p. 302. , viewed 27 Jul 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230390571

    2017 ‘Robbing the Bank: Australia’s First Bank Robbery’, Radford, Neil, Dictionary of Sydney, http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/robbing_the_bank_australias_first_bank_robbery, viewed 09 Aug 2022

    2008, ‘Breaking the Bank, an extraordinary colonial robbery’, Baxter, Carol, Allen & Unwin

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • Historian Solomon Stanton shares his research on his ancestor John Matthew Richardson. John was a convict who was sentenced to 7 years transportation and had an incredible life as a gardener and botanical collector for the colony. Solomon describes some of the highlights of John’s life which include his time working in the Sydney Botanic Gardens, his stint on Melville Island, various expeditions both in and out of Australia, and the discovery of new plants. Two plants were named after John - the Hibiscus Richardsonii and Alyxia Richardsonii.

    FURTHER READING

    'Richardson, John Matthew (1797–1882)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/richardson-john-matthew-2588/text3549, published first in hardcopy 1967.

    'Richardson, John Matthew (c.1797–1882)', Global Plants, JSTOR, https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.person.bm000391636

    ‘Newsletter, No. 112 September 2002’, Australian Systematic Botany Society, https://asbs.org.au/newsletter/pdf/02-sept-112.pdf, page 3.

    ‘Flora of Australia, Volume 1, Introduction 2ndEdition’, Australian Biological Resources Study, CSIRO Publishing, https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/env/pages/5822457a-1744-4aaa-a5e0-74dc485f825d/files/flora-australia-01-introduction-second-edition-2.pdf, page 66.

    ‘The British in North Australia 1824-29 : Fort Dundas’ by Derek Pugh, Published by Derek Pugh 2017, https://www.booktopia.com.au/fort-dundas-derek-pugh/book/9780992355869.html?source=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8uOWBhDXARIsAOxKJ2EAYmo5lKChSbwJWPm5XWxCCcElEoclB0ltLE9rGnpsVidZ6ZjpkCQaAoL1EALw_wcB

    ‘Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia; with descriptions of the recently explored region of Australia Felix and the present colony of New South Wales’, by Major T.L. Mitchell, F.G.S and M.R.G.S. Surveyor General, Second Edition, Volume 2, London, T. and W.Boone, New Bond Street, https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks/e00036.html

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of 'Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners':

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Solomon Staunton.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • The Neva was a three-masted barque carrying hundreds of female convicts and their children from Ireland to Port Jackson.  In 1835 it stuck the Harbinger Reefs near King Island in the treacherous waters of the Bass Strait.  Join me as I recount this tragic story.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    SOURCES

    1835 'MELANCHOLY SHIPWRECK.', Launceston Advertiser (Tas. : 1829 - 1846), 2 July, p. 4. , viewed 23 Jan 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84777543

    1835 'PARTICULARS OF THE WRECK OF THE Prison Ship "NEVA."', The Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 - 1838), 18 July, p. 2. (MORNING), viewed 23 Jan 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32149374

    1835 'Van Dieman's Land News.', The Colonist (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 1840), 23 July, p. 5. , viewed 23 Jan 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31716763

    1959, ‘The Convict Ships, 1787 – 1868’, by Charles Bateson.,Brown, Son & Ferguson, Ltd., Glasgow

    1997, ‘Most Perfectly Safe: the convict shipwreck disasters of 1833-42’ by G.A. Mawer, Allen & Unwin

    ‘View Shipwreck – Neva’, Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database, viewed 18 June 2022, http://www.environment.gov.au/shipwreck/public/wreck/wreck.do?key=7542

    2013, ‘The Wreck of the Neva’, by K. Todd, Mercier Press

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed, Mark Blakey & Cameron Stops.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • What happened when the convicts on Norfolk Island were stripped of their cooking pots? A bloodthirsty riot! Join me as I retell this gruesome true story about Alexander Maconochie’s ‘Mark System’, William Westwood better known as ‘Jackey Jackey the gentleman bushranger’ and his fight to be treated humanely.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    SOURCES

    1846 'NORFOLK ISLAND.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 8 August, p. 2. , viewed 11 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12889016

    1846 'DISTURBANCES AT NORFOLK ISLAND.', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 8 August, p. 3. , viewed 11 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37156047

    1846 'Domestic Intelligence.', Colonial Times (Hobart, Tas. : 1828 - 1857), 25 August, p. 3. , viewed 11 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8759148

    1846 'NORFOLK ISLAND.', The Courier (Hobart, Tas. : 1840 - 1859), 2 September, p. 2. , viewed 28 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2944991

    1846 'No Title', The Hobart Town Advertiser (Tas. : 1839 - 1861), 4 September, p. 2. , viewed 25 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article264517227

    1846 'NORFOLK ISLAND.', The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), 14 November, p. 3. , viewed 28 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37127840

    1888 'CHAPTER OF OLD TIMES.', Launceston Examiner (Tas. : 1842 - 1899), 12 June, p. 3. , viewed 28 May 2022, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38316723

    2005, 'Westwood, William (1820–1846)', M. Rutledge, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, viewed 29 May 2022, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/westwood-william-13246/text6635

    2011, ‘Alexander Maconochie’s ‘mark system.’, J. Moore, CORE: three access levels to underpin open access. D-Lib Magazine, viewed 28 May 2022, https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/323897824.pdf

    2021, ‘The Norfolk Island Penal Station, the Panopticon, and Alexander Maconochie’s and Jeremy Bentham’s Theories of Punishment’, T. Causer, Revue d’études benthamiennes [Online], viewed 28 May 2022, http://journals.openedition.org/etudes-benthamiennes/838

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • This is the true story of convict First Fleeter, Mary Bryant.  In March 1791 Mary, her husband, their two infant children and 6 other convicts made a daring escape from the fledgling colony of NSW.  In a tiny boat, they managed to make it all the way to Timor.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    SOURCES

    1910 'An Account of the English colony in New South Wales by David Collins 1756 - 1810'. Edited, with an introduction, and notes by James Collier, https://archive.org/details/b1182480/page/112/mode/2up, viewed 2 April 2022

    1963 ‘The Transportation, Escape and Pardoning of Mary Bryant (Nee Broad)’, by C. H. Currey, Angus & Robertson Ltd

    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

    2015 ‘Charlotte’, Dictionary of Sydney, Cameron, Michaela Ann, http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/charlotte, viewed 19 May 2022

    2015-2016, ‘Convict Hulks’, Digital Panopticon, by Samuel Hadfield, https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/Convict_Hulks, viewed 2 April 2022

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed and Robert Twemlow.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • Join me as I talk to Matthew Bateman-Graham, a tour guide at Fremantle Prison – a UNESCO World Heritage site for convicts in Western Australia.  Matthew talks about how Fremantle Prison came to be, the types of convicts that were sent over, their skills and routine.  Plus, he discusses some of the extraordinary escapees such as Moondyne Joe and much more.

    LINKS

    Fremantle Prison

    https://fremantleprison.com.au/

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Matthew Bateman-Graham, Amberlee Hong & Julie Hemen.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • Join me as I talk to Tammy Reardon about the Isle of the Dead – the final resting place for convicts who died at Port Arthur. Tammy has been conducting tours at the Isle of the Dead and Port Arthur Historic Site for over 15 years. She shares with us stories about the Island, convicts and free settlers associated with the site such as Henry Savery, the Staveley family and the last gravedigger, Mark Jeffery.

    LINKS

    The Isle of the Dead Cemetery Tour:

    https://portarthur.org.au/tour/isle-of-the-dead/

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    FURTHER READING

    1967 ‘SAVERY, HENRY (1791-1842)’ Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, viewed 7 April 2022, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/savery-henry-2632

    1985 ‘THE ISLE OF THE DEAD, PORT ARTHUR’, Richard Lord & Partners, R. Lord

    1995 'DEATH AND BURIAL AT PORT ARTHUR', L Ross, Honours thesis, UT.

    2017-2020 ‘JEFFERY, MARK, 1825-1903’, Digital Panopticon, B. Godfrey, viewed 7 April 2022, https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/Jeffrey,_Mark,_1825-1903

    2021 ‘ONE WOMAN IS REVEALING THE STORIES OF CONVICTS, SETTLERS BURIED ON THE ISLE OF THE DEAD’, ABC News, L. Gwynn, viewed 7 April 2022, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-11/discovering-the-stories-of-those-buried-on-the-isle-of-the-dead/100527502

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Tammy Reardon.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • 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

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    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


    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed and Dane Sharpe.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • In 1832, en route to Norfolk Island, Knatchbull and his convict mates plot their cunning escape.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    SOURCES

    1832 'ARMY INTELLIGENCE.', The Currency Lad (Sydney, NSW : 1832-1833), 8 December, p. 3. , viewed 25 Jul 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article252636815

    1832 'DIABOLICAL CONSPIRACY TO MURDER THE CREW AND GUARD OF THE GOVERNOR PHILIP TRANSPORT, ON HER PASSAGE TO NORFOLK ISLAND.', The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), 4 December, p. 2. , viewed 25 Jul 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2209731

    1832 'DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. ABSTRACT OF SALES BY AUCTION.', The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), 6 December, p. 2. , viewed 25 Jul 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12845867

    1833 'INDIA.', Launceston Advertiser (Tas. : 1829 - 1846), 3 January, p. 424. , viewed 25 Jul 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84776276

    1898 'THE STORY OF KNATCHBULL.', The Australian Star (Sydney, NSW : 1887 - 1909), 2 April, p. 8. , viewed 25 Jul 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228431278

    CONVICT CASE STUDY- JOHN KNATCHBULL, NSW State Archives & Records, viewed 25 Jul 2021, https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/stories/convict-case-study-john-knatchbull#

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • Reverend Samuel Marsden arrived in NSW in 1794 as the new chaplain but was quickly appointed as a magistrate. Marsden detested sin and sought to rid the colony of it. He became known as the 'Flogging Parson' for handing out severe punishments, but he also did a lot of good in the colony.  For example, he actively tried to improve conditions for female convicts at the Parramatta Female Factory and he helped with the establishment and administration of the Female Orphan School.  Join me as I talk to historian Michel Wilson as we unpack the good, the bad, and the ugly that was Samuel Marsden.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    THANKS

    Special thanks to Michel Wilson & Gay Hendriksen.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • George III left Woolwich, England in December 1834 transporting 220 male convicts. The voyage was an eventful one - a fire broke loose, scurvy was rife and one day out from reaching Tasmania, the ship was wrecked when it ran into an unchartered rock.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    SOURCES

    1835 'The Courier.', The Hobart Town Courier (Tas. : 1827 - 1839), 17 April, p. 2. , viewed 20 Oct 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4180760

    1835 'SHIPWRECK', The Hobart Town Courier (Tas. : 1827 - 1839), 24 April, p. 4. , viewed 26 Oct 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4180715

    1872 'NARRATIVE OF THE WRECK OF THE GEORGE III. CONVICT SHIP.', The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), 19 December, p. 2. (The Mercury Supplement), viewed 19 Oct 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8919451

    1959 The Convict Ships, 1787 – 1868, by Charles Bateson.,Brown, Son & Ferguson, Ltd., Glasgow

    1997 Most Perfectly Safe: the convict shipwreck disasters of 1833-42 by G.A. Mawer, Allen & Unwin

    2020 ‘Shipwreck – George III.’, Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database., Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, viewed 30 Oct 2021, http://www.environment.gov.au/shipwreck/public/wreck/wreck.do?key=7195

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • Join me as I chat with Janice Ruse Huntington about her ancestor, James Ruse.  James was a Cornish convict who was transported to Australia with the First Fleet.  He claimed to be the first European from the First Fleet to set foot on Australian soil. He also became the first ex-convict to receive a land grant from Governor Phillip and quickly turned his Experiment Farm into a success, proving that with little assistance a settler could become self-sufficient.

    LINKS

    For a copy of the book My Mother Reread Me Tenderley, the life of James Ruse by Janice Ruse Huntington please contact Janice at:

    [email protected]

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Janice Ruse Huntington.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • Join me as I chat to Santilla Chingaipe about her documentary Our African Roots which will premier on SBS, Sunday, October 17 at 8:30 pm. The documentary reveals how Australian’s of African descent have helped shape Australia’s history for more than 200 years - from the First Fleet to the Eureka Rebellion, and from the Anzacs to Don Bradman’s Invincible’s.  I chat to her about three convicts of African descent - John Caesar, Australia's first bushranger, John Randall and William 'Billy' Blue.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Santilla Chingaipe and Tracey Wearne.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • This is the story of six Fenian prisoners who had been transported to Australia as convicts arriving in 1868.  While they toiled away, their mates in America devised a cunning plan to rescue them.  In 1876 they executed one of the most daring prison breaks in Australian history. 

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    SOURCES

    1876 'FREMANTLE—PORT TOPICS.', The Western Australian Times (Perth, WA : 1874 - 1879), 21 April, p. 2. , viewed 29 Aug 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2975872

    1876 'DARING ESCAPE OF SIX FENIAN PRISONERS.', The Herald (Fremantle, WA : 1867 - 1886), 22 April, p. 3. , viewed 29 Aug 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article109902454

    1876 'ESCAPE OF FENIANS FROM SWAN HILL.', The Burrangong Argus (NSW : 1865 - 1913), 14 June, p. 2. , viewed 25 Aug 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article247273673

    1876 '(To the Editors of the Protestant Standard.)', The Protestant Standard (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1895), 8 July, p. 2. , viewed 07 Sep 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207785686

    1876 'EUROPEAN TELEGRAMS.', The Colac Herald (Vic. : 1875 - 1918), 5 September, p. 3. , viewed 25 Aug 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91999619

    1886 'THE END OF AN EXILE.', Globe (Sydney, NSW : 1885 - 1886), 19 May, p. 8. (FIRST EDITION and EVENING), viewed 07 Sep 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article102562460

    1897 ‘THE CATALPA EXPEDITION.’, New Bedford, Mass. : G. S. Anthony, Pease, Zeph. W. , viewed 16 Aug 2021, https://archive.org/details/catalpaexpeditio00peas/page/52/mode/2up

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed and Mark Blakey.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino

  • The last ship to transport convicts to Australia was the Hougoumont which arrived in 1868.  Onboard were 279 male convicts - 62 of whom were political prisoners from Ireland known as Fenians.  This is the story of one of those men - John Boyle O'Reilly, a poet, journalist, author and activist.  Join me as I retell the story of his epic escape from New Holland to New York.

    Trigger warning!  This story contains content about suicide.

    LINKS

    Grab a copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners:

    www.jennifer-twemlow.com

    Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:

    https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia

    Join the conversation on our Facebook & Instagram pages:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866

    https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en

    Start your search for your convict ancestors:

    https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100ldych

    https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100396961-13671424

    SOURCES

    1869 'BUNBURY.', The Inquirer and Commercial News (Perth, WA : 1855 - 1901), 13 January, p. 2. , viewed 21 Aug 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66033268

    1870 'THE ESCAPE OF JOHN BOYLE O'REILLY.', Advocate (Melbourne, Vic. : 1868 - 1954), 1 January, p. 13. , viewed 12 Aug 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article170149320

    1870 'J. BOYLE O'REILLY.', Freeman's Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1932), 26 February, p. 4. , viewed 12 Aug 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article115292629

    1897 ‘THE CATAPLA EXPEDITION.’, New Bedford, Mass. : G. S. Anthony, Pease, Zeph. W. , viewed 16 Aug 2021, https://archive.org/details/catalpaexpeditio00peas/page/52/mode/2up

    John Boyle O'Reilly, Ian Kenneally, viewed 5 September 2021, https://www.johnboyleoreilly.com/convict.html

    2006 'O'REILLY, JOHN BOYLE (1844-1890)' by Wendy Birman, Australian Dictionary of Biography, viewed 5 September 2021, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/oreilly-john-boyle-4338

    THANK YOU

    Special thanks to Sue Reed.

    Music by Ahjay Stelino