How true is it that Australia was a land used by British explorers for exiled prisoners?
Answer – True.
England was looking into solving the overcrowding of their prisons and so, they came up with the idea of penal colonies. It is the transferring of prisoners in remote locations or away from England.
Australia became one of Britain’s penal colonies in 1788. The first settlement of the British ships happened near the shoreline of Sydney. Just 4.4 km away from An
nandale. Major George Johnston arrived on the First Fleet ship bringing with him British convicts to Australia. Major Johnston was granted 600 acres of land. This area was then renamed to Annandale after his birthplace in Annan Scotland, UK.
By 1868, over 160,000 convicts was transported from Europe to Australia.
