Spending many months on a convict ship was gruelling. In this episode we explore the conditions about the transport ships and discuss The First Fleet, medical attention and even some love stories.

We talk about the changes that occurred to the medical treatment provided with the implementation of a range of recommendations from Dr William Redfern.

Hear the stories of Margaret Southern, Jane Forbes and Sarah Turner and their experiences on their voyage to Australia and then in the colony.

Learn about infantacide, murder, larceny and uttering of forged notes with in depth research and discussion.

Hear the stories of Martha Thatcher and some horrific stories of crimes committed by and against the women recorded in Jess Hill's research.

And ponder if some women "played the system" in order to be transported.  Did they commit crimes to be sentenced to transportation?  What could have been some of their possible motivations?

Hear the tragic story of Elizabeth Perkins and speculate on the life of Eliza Cobb - 2 of our creative biographies in this episode.

Alex gives a succinct background to the history transportation and why Australia ended up being the destination of the First Fleet in 1788.

Team members discuss some of the emotional connection to the women while also exploring questions such as, "Why have women been forgotten in history?" and "What additional sources can we use to learn about the lives of these women?"

Learn about Jess Hill who conducted research in the 1970s of over 4500 convict women.  Hear about a time when all her research nearly got lost but was saved by society volunteers.

Be moved by biographies of two of the women transported  to New South Wales and also the story of their children.

We'll discuss historical research, the feminist movement and begin looking at some of the thinking around convicts and how they were and are perceived.

Find out about this upcoming podcast, exploring the lives of Convict Women in Australia.  Hear snippets from some of the stories you'll hear and topics to be discussed on this collaborative podcast focussing on colonial Australia.