by Susie Zada
It is generally believed that there were no convicts transported to the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, now the State of Victoria. However, that is not the case, and historian, Susie Zada described the different groups of convicts who did arrive over time in the Port Phillip District and the various sites where convict settlements were initiated.
The British were aware of French vessels around the coast of Australia and several convict settlements were established to deter the French from claiming or occupying any land. The first convict settlement in the Port Phillip District was at Sullivan Bay, just inside the Heads of Port Phillip Bay. In October 1803 Lieutenant-Colonel David Collins arrived from England on HMS Calcutta with the transport ship Ocean. There were over 450 people on board, including 307 convicts, some with wives and children, and some marines. The convicts had skills which should have been of use in forging a new settlement, but this was a settlement doomed to fail, as there was no fresh water. In May 1804, Collins abandoned this site and moved to Van Diemen’s Land where he established Hobart.
During the time at Sullivan Bay, fifteen convicts died, and several tried to escape. One of these was William Buckley, who worked his way around Port Phillip Bay, ending up near Queenscliff where he lived with the local aborigines for 32 years. Today, all that remains of the settlement at Sullivan Bay are a few graves.
The second convict settlement in the Port Phillip District was in Western Port Bay, a site chosen because the explorers Hume and Hovell had, following their overland trip in 1824 -1825, described the land surrounding the Bay as being grassy, with plenty of fresh water – perfect for a settlement. When the Brig Dragon and HMS Fly arrived in November 1826 from Sydney with convicts, troops and civilians, they found a timbered area with no water. A camp was set up at Settlement Point and across from it Fort Dumaresq was established on Phillip Island, but the settlement was abandoned in February 1828. To the embarrassment of William Hovell who had joined this party, it was apparent that he and Hume had not reached Western Port Bay but had gone instead to Corio Bay.
Port Phillip Bay was the site of the third settlement. A shortage of grazing areas in Van Diemen’s Land had led to the formation of the Port Phillip Association, and in 1835 sheep and goods were unloaded at Point Henry by members of this group. The Association knew about the fresh water river where Melbourne now sits, but it was a long trip up the Bay. They also knew there was fresh water at Geelong, but sandbanks prevented ships from getting into Corio Bay. Point Henry seemed the most convenient place. Meanwhile the New South Wales Government, upset by the events unfolding in the Port Phillip district, and realizing there was no stopping the situation, sent convict labourers to the area in what was called a Survey party. It was all to no avail however, because the lack of fresh water at Port Henry made it impossible. The best site of all, Melbourne, was finally settled.
In the Port Phillip District, the majority of labourers were convicts and about one thousand arrived between 1835 and 1849. Some arrived overland from Sydney with their masters. Others were convicts who had completed their sentences and had their Certificates of freedom or various types of pardons and were allowed to move around.
A group of 1,727 young men and boys called ‘Exiles’ arrived between 1844 and 1849. They were prisoners who had already served some time in an English prison or hulk. They had not been sentenced to transportation, but in exchange for being transported to Port Phillip they were promised a pardon on their arrival, the only stipulation being that they had to remain in the district for the unexpired term of their sentence. They generally had been in Pentonville, Parkhurst and Millbank prisons, and the Port Phillip newspapers referred to them as ‘Pentonvillains’. Most could read and write, with only a few committing further offences after their arrival. They were much sought after as shepherds and William Roadknight, for example, employed about 65 men on his Western District properties
Convicts who continued committing criminal acts after arriving in Australia could be sentenced to ‘transportation’ to another Colony. For example, they might be transported from Sydney to Van Diemen’s Land, and some were transported to Port Phillip.
Susie has been privileged to access a digital history of Tasmania database, compiled by Hamish Maxwell-Stewart, a specialist in the history of crime. It appears to be very comprehensive, but there is a substantial amount of convict information on the internet. The Public Records Office in Victoria (prov.vic.gov.au) has much material as does the National Archives in England (nationalarchives.gov.uk). Ancestry and Findmypast also have material.
Susie suggested several books: “Convicts Unbound: The Story of the Calcutta Convicts and their Settlement in Australia” (1988) by Marjorie Tipping; “Convicts of the Port Phillip District” by Keith M Clarke; ‘The Pentonvillains’ by Ian Wynd and ‘Great Britain’s Exiles Sent to Port Phillip, Australia, 1844-1849: Lord Stanley’s experiment’ a PhD thesis by Colleen Wood.
A very interesting part of our history.
Contributed by Jan Hanslow PPPG member 1057