Convicts
Some of the first settlements in Port Phillip were manned by convicts, but harsh conditions and lack of resources saw many escape – and then return when they realised there was nowhere else to go.
Although Victoria's first settlers may have thought of Port Phillip as a free colony, convicts worked for land-owners and later prison 'hulk' ships housed a growing criminal population. Read on to discover why Victoria's convict heritage is a secret history...
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Nicholas Pateshall's record of his experiences in Port Phillip provides a rare insight into convict life.
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The first settlement at Sullivan Bay wasn't a success, with convicts and settlers alike struggling to stay alive.
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Escaping from a convict settlement was William Buckley's first step towards becoming the ‘Wild White Man'.
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After 32 years living in an Aboriginal community, William Buckley found himself stranded between two cultures.
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The second attempt at convict settlement in Port Phillip Bay brought to light an embarrassing blunder by previous explorers.