Australian History: Brilliant stories from Australia's past.
Maria Island is a UNESCO World Heritage listed Tasmanian convict site, with a long and varied history, and a number of spectacular natural and geological places of interest. From its original indigenous use, soon after aboriginal people made their way to Tasmania, around 30,000 years ago, through it’s early colonial...
In this final episode on Buckley & the Wathawurrung, we hear about what happened after Buckley made contact with Batman’s party from the Port Phillip Association. He eventually moves back into the white society, trying to live a quiet, conflict-free life and records his recollections of living amongst the Wathawurrung....
In Part 2 of William Buckley’s story, living amongst the Wathawurrung people who adopted him, we hear how he adapted and learned a great many skills. He was able to record many of the practices that allowed his mob to live so successfully, in country that almost killed him. And...
William Buckley was an escaped convict who lived amongst the Wathawurrung people for more than 30 years. Adopted as Murrangurk, he had the opportunity to participate in, witness and later record some of the lifestyle and cultural practices of these First Nations people, at a time before they had substantial...
In this final episode on Alexander Pearce we hear about his second escape attempt from Macquarie Harbour, with fellow convict Thomas Cox. They planned a less difficult route for their escape but again, their scheme didn’t proceed as they had planned. This time the authorities took the situation more seriously...
In Part 2 of the Alexander Pearce series we continue the story of Alexander Pearce as he and his fellow convicts continue on their escape from Port Macquarie. They have found themselves in the wild west country, exhausted mentally & physically, and starving with no provisions remaining. Talk turns to...
Alexander Pearce was one of our more notorious convicts, and one of very few convict escapees from Macquarie Harbour, who survived attempting to reach the settled districts. As the last man standing from the eight that absconded together, his survival was only possible because he resorted to cannibalism. In Part...
In Part 2 we will follow William Swallow and his fellow mutineer convicts on the commandeered ship, the Cyprus. Swallow and his men were delighted to be heading into the Pacific, away from the dreaded Macquarie Harbour, and his sailing skills were put to the test as they made their...
We’re continuing our look at the convict era, in particular, the experiences of women convicts who passed through the Cascades Female Factory, in Hobart, Tasmania. After serving their sentences, many became successful members of their communities, and they are representative of the convict women who can be regarded as the...
We’re going to look at the female convicts who passed through the Cascades Female Factory, in Hobart, Tasmania, and reflect on the different experience the women convicts may have had, to those of the male convicts. There are both harrowing and hilarious stories to be told about the institution and...