Australian Migration
An interactive map showing the migration of UK convicts to the Penal Colony of Australia.
The Paths of Migration
EmpirePenal colonies are nothing uncommon for the British empire. The move to Australia was partly prompted because of the American Revolution. Once the American Colonies refused more prisoners, the large amount of convicts and the common sentences of capital punishment made the need for foreign colonies necessary to preserve the British Isle. Exportation to colonies across the globe helped to ease the burden in the British jails.
Why They Were Pushed
The involuntary migration was a consequence of alternatives to capital punishment. These people were typically living in poverty before becoming convicts due to the lack of opportunity, lack of police, and wealth disparity from the times of the British industrial revolution. Life on the mainland was much like the Gilded Age of the United States. Greedy capitalists ruled the industry and working conditions were atrocious. This is why theft (the most common crime of the time) was punished so severely; it was deterrence.
Conditions of Travel
Convicts aboard the boats heading to Australia experienced similar treatment as slaves. They were chained to the boats and tightly packed inside. Diseases like cholera and typhoid plagued the boat's passengers because of the bad sanitation. Efficiency was the name of the game for these transports, and it is estimated that from the period of 1776-1795, 1/3 of all transported perished due to disease.
A Welcome Arrival
There were no parties for those who arrived. Instead, they were met with copious amounts of physical labor. After arrival, the convicts were immediately placed into work "gangs", often responsible for constructing the infrastructure of the new colony. Without the hard work of these convicts, the Australian colony would not have prospered as it did following its use in the penal system.
As far as pull factors, most of them came from the work done by convicts. This can be deduced by the patterns of immigration to the colony. Up until the mid 1800s, most "immigrants" were convicts and military personnel. Once the penal colony ended in the 1860s, regular British citizens began immigrating to the colonies, profiting off the infrastructure built by the convicts.
Gold rushes in the colony also attracted many immigrants during the mid 1800s hoping to make a better life for themselves.
What Did Convicts Bring with Them?
Nothing physical, they were convicts after all.
In terms of culture, the convicts brought the language and the social hierarchy/social structure that they were used to at home.
The government also mimicked the mainland's. Political tradition and legislation remained the same in the new colony. Following this same pattern is religion. Convicts brought their beliefs with them too.
Effects on the Mainland?
Effects on the mainland seemed to be much more positive than negative. Most positive effects surprisingly stemmed from the exportation of prisoners and they included:
- Eased prison populations
- Provided a trade hub and travel destination for increased economic benefit
- Military outreach to expand Imperial control
- Ultimately led to British criminal justice reform
What Became of Australia?
Australia as a colony saw a decline in prisoners starting in the 1830s when public opinion of the penal colonies began to decline. Finally, in the 1860s, the use of these penal colonies came to an end, and the colony opened up to regular people looking to make a new life.
It cannot be stressed enough how much work the convicts had done to improve the colony, and without their service and sacrifice, it is untold what the colony would look like today.
Following regular immigration, the colony became much like its mother country. Jobs, culture, and life itself copied the British way. The populations on the island have not moved much, staying near either the East or West coast, and their adaptation to the climate has gone quite well.
