Transportation: one convict’s experience

What do we know about the lives of people in Australia’s colonial past?

What crimes did they commit? What was their punishment? How did they feel about being transported? And, what did they do when they arrived in Australia?

Using these light-hearted videos, students can track the experience of ‘Joe’ – a convict transported to NSW in 1819 for highway robbery.

Listen carefully though, as convicts in the early colony often used had their own ‘flash’ language – made up of slang words.

Helpful hint - Turn on the video’s ‘closed captions’ to help you translate what they're saying!

Learn more about ‘flash language’.

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