See also my talk handout 'Convicts: from trial to freedom'.
Convicts
About 152,000 convicts were sent to eastern colonies of Australia 1788-1853 (mostly to NSW or Tasmania / Van Diemen's Land) plus 9,700 convicts were sent to Western Australia 1850-1868
UK & Ireland (trial & voyage) | New South Wales | Queensland | South Australia |Tasmania | Victoria | Western Australia | General
UK & Ireland (Trial & voyage)
- Archives Wales https://archives.wales (See 'Find your Archive': archives repositories, including county record offices, holding Quarter Sessions records - other than Monmouthshire)
- Assize Court Records https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Assize_Court_Records (on FamilySearch Wiki, a description of these court records, their history and where they are now located)
- Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) http://www.nla.gov.au/microform-australian-joint-copying-project (microfilm of UK records likely to be of interest in Australia, NZ and Pacific)
- Bedfordshire Gaol Register http://apps.bedford.gov.uk/grd/ (Gaol registers 1801 to 1879, contains personal descriptions)
- Britain sent Thousands of its Convicts to America, Not Just Australia http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/britain-sent-thousands-of-its-convicts-to-america-not-1707458418 (article, with references)
- British convicts shipped to American colonies https://www.jstor.org/stable/1833611?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents (article, with references)
- Chartist Ancestors http://www.chartists.net (Wanted democratic reforms & some protesters were transported as convicts)
- Convict hulks http://www.hotkey.net.au/~jwilliams4/hulks.htm (includes hulks in Australia)
- Convict love tokens http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/objectsthroughtime/convict-love-tokens/ (tokens made by convicts to leave behind with loved ones)
- Devon convicts transported to Australia http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/DevonIndexes/LastFarewell.html (1782-1821)
- Down County Museum convict transportation http://www.downcountymuseum.com/About-Us/The-Gaol/Gaol_Convicts_Database (Convicts sent from County Down to NSW)
- Dumfries Jail Books http://info.dumgal.gov.uk/HistoricalIndexes/Home/IndexDescription/5 (Gaol registers 1714-1810)
- England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935 http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/england-and-wales-crime-prisons-and-punishment-1770-1935 (findmypast, assorted crime records, costs)
- English and American attitudes towards Convict Transportation 1718-1775 https://www.jstor.org/stable/24415748?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents (article)
- Index of legal terms and offences http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/research-guides/research-guides-a-z/court-and-legal-records/index-of-legal-terms (National Records of Scotland)
- Inveraray Jail (Argyll, Scotland) prisoner records http://www.inverarayjail.co.uk/our-history/ (See 'Prisoner Records', Gaol registers 1820 to 1889, contains personal descriptions)
- Ireland Prison Registers, 1790 to 1924 https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Ireland_Prison_Registers_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records) (from National Archives of Ireland)
- Ireland-Australia transportation database http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/ireland-australia-transportation-records-1791-1853// (Convicts transported from Ireland to Australia, incomplete for transportations prior to 1836)
- Irish Chief Secretary's Correspondence http://www.csorp.nationalarchives.ie/ (ongoing project digitising documents 1818-52)
- Irish convict transportation to Australia https://independentaustralia.net/australia/australia-display/irish-convict-transportation-to-australia,3101 (article by Brad Webb)
- Irish Convicts to NSW 1788-1849 http://members.pcug.org.au/~ppmay/convicts.htm (Peter May)
- Kent Quarter Sessions Index http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mrawson/sessions.html (1657-1683)
- Lancashire Convict database http://www.lancastercastle.com/convict-database (People tried & sentenced at Lancaster Assize - not complete)
- Lincolnshire Convicts database http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/convictssearch.aspx (Convicts transported to Australia, Gibraltar & Bermuda)
- Newgate Calendar http://www.exclassics.com/newgate/ngintro.htm (digitised book)
- Newspapers eResources on your national, state / provincial library website (trial reports in eg Times Digital Archive 1785 to 1985, 19th century British Library Newspapers, British Newspapers 1600-1900)
- Nottingham Borough Quarter Session Transportations http://cms.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/leisure/archives/archivescollections/summaryguide/archivescourt.htm (Quarter Sessions courts tried non-capital offences, more serious crimes tried at Assizes, records held at The National Archives)
- Old Bailey Online http://www.oldbaileyonline.org (Trial records from London's Central Criminal Court, 1674 to 1913)
- Prison Hulk Registers & Letter Books http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=1989 (Ancestry.com, 1802-1840)
also Prison Ship (Hulk) Registers http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/prison-ship-hulk-registers (findmypast.com, 1811-1843) - Prison hulks on the River Thames http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConNarrative.56/chapterId/957/Prison-hulks-on-the-River-Thames.html (article)
- Scottish convicts ('Crime and criminals') http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/crime-and-criminals (research guide)
- Scottish High Court criminal trials http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/high-court-criminal-trials (guide)
- Scottish Prison Register Search http://www.maxwellancestry.com/prisonsearch.aspx
- The National Archives (UK, London) http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk (original trial, prison, hulk, transportation records & much more)
- The National Archives (UK, London) Discovery catalogue search http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk (catalogue search, including some name searches)
(lesser crimes tried at Quarter Sessions courts, held at English county record offices, find via ‘Find an archive’) - The National Archives (UK) Podcasts http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ (large files, audio lectures, some have transcripts)
Catching Victorian and Edwardian criminals on paper
Criminal ancestors: trial records at The National Archives
From crime to punishment: criminal records of our ancestors from the 18th & 19th centuries
Journeys of discovery: Surgeons at Sea
Morbidity and mortality on convict voyages to 19th century Australia
Prison hulks
Prison: five hundred years behind bars
Radicalism and unrest
Reckless, rash and repentant: Convicts' petitions for mercy
Transportation to Australia - The National Archives (UK) Research guides http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides-keywords/ ('C' for Crime and the law, courts, etc)
Criminal transportation
Prisoners & prison staff - The National Archives (UK) Surgeons at Sea http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/surgeonsatsea/ (Journals of surgeons who served on convict & emigrant ships 1793 to 1880)
- Victorian Crime & Punishment http://vcp.e2bn.org/justice/page11382-sentencing-to-departure-prison-hulks-convict-gaols.html (Teaching resources discussing 19th century justice)
- Wales' Court of Great Sessions ('Crime and Punishment') database https://www.llgc.org.uk/sesiwn_fawr/index_s.htm (National Library of Wales, holds church records, wills and Great Sessions (Assizes) court records)
- Warwickshire Calendar of Prisoners database http://heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk/warwickshire-county-record-office/county-record-office-resources-and-catalogues/county-record-office-calendar-of-prisoners-database/ (criminals & victims)
- What happened to your ancestor after being convicted & sentenced to transportation http://www.hotkey.net.au/~jwilliams4/cons1.htm (an idealistic view)
- Wives & Children of Irish Convicts 1825 to 1840 (Ancestry.com.au) http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=2377 (costs)
- York Assizes 1785 to 1851 http://www.yorkfamilyhistory.org.uk/resources/york-assizes/ (Assizes courts heard 'major' crimes)
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New South Wales
- NSW State Archives & Records
Convict records https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/convicts
Colonial Secretary's Correspondence Guide https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/colonial-secretary/correspondence-guide
Community Access Points https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/community-access-points-0 (archives available at some libraries)
Gaol inmates / Prisoners Guide https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/gaol-inmates-prisoners-guide
Supreme Court Guide https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/supreme-court-guide - NSW Transcription agents (Obtain copies of records from NSW State Archives & Records, for those unable to visit themselves)
Turtle Consolidated Services http://home.iprimus.com.au/lturtle/
Marilyn Rowan http://www.nswtranscriptions.com.au/ - Aboriginal Convicts: Race, Law & Transportation http://eprints.utas.edu.au/7467/2/Kris_Harman_PhD_Thesis.pdf (Aboriginals tried & transported under colonial laws)
- Ancestry.com (Convict Collection) http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/group/AUConvicts (indents, musters, pardons, Colonial Secretary's Correspondence & much more, costs)
- Castle Hill Convict Rebellion 1804 http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/castle_hill_convict_rebellion_1804 (article)
- Claim a Convict http://www.hawkesbury.net.au/claimaconvict/ (contact other researchers)
- Cockatoo Island Convicts http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/about/history/convicts
also Historical Analysis of the convict remains on Cockatoo Island http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/system/files/pages/1d843de2-ed47-4ed0-bccc-4160a05ed533/files/cmp-ci-historical-analysis-convict-buildings.pdf - Convict and emancipist teachers of NSW 1789-1830 http://dehanz.net.au/entries/convict-emancipist-teachers/ (details of teachers and their crimes)
- Convict Ships to New South Wales http://www.jenwilletts.com/Convict%20Ships.htm (Some lists of convicts, surgeon's journals & more)
- Convict Tickets of Leave http://www.sag.org.au (This index temporarily unavailable online while website being updated)
- Female Factory (Parramatta) http://www.parragirls.org.au/ (Factory = 'Manufactory' - place of work & prison, information about institution, prison, orphanage)
- Female Factory (second factory at Parramatta) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jray/gordon/index.htm (information, including about 1st matron)
- Female Orphan School, Parramatta http://www.uws.edu.au/femaleorphanschool/home
- findmypast.com.au (costs)
Convict Arrivals (indents) http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/new-south-wales-convict-arrivals
Convict Conditional and Absolute Pardons 1791-1867 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/australia-convict-conditional-and-absolute-pardons-1791-1867
Convict Death Register 1828-1879 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/new-south-wales-convict-death-register-1828-1879
Convict Tickets of Leave 1824-1874 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/australia-convict-tickets-of-leave-1824-1874
Convicts' Certificates of Freedom 1827-1867 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/new-south-wales-butts-of-convicts-certificates-of-freedom-1827-1867
Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry 1825-1851 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/new-south-wales-registers-of-convicts-applications-to-marry-1825-1851
Settlers and Convicts 1787-1859 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/new-south-wales-and-tasmania-settlers-and-convicts-1787-1859 - First Fleet (Dictionary of Sydney) http://dictionaryofsydney.org/artefact/first_fleet
- First Fleet Online http://firstfleet.uow.edu.au/index.html (information & database)
- First Fleeters http://www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au (Fellowship of First Fleeters)
- Free Settler or Felon? http://www.jenwilletts.com/ (Newcastle / Hunter Valley convicts, settlers, soldiers)
- 'From Terra Australis to Australia' http://www2.sl.nsw.gov.au/archive/discover_collections/history_nation/terra_australis/index.html (animations & histories, State Library of NSW)
- Great North Road http://greatnorthroad.com.au/ (Road between Sydney & Newcastle & database of convicts involved in its building)
also Old Great North Road http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nswcultureheritage/TheOldGreatNorthRoad.htm - Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/hyde-park-barracks-museum/stories (Convict barracks in Sydney)
- Irish convicts to NSW http://members.pcug.org.au/~ppmay/ (Peter Mayberry)
- Newcastle Penal Settlement https://downloads.newcastle.edu.au/library/cultural%20collections/pdf/1981-bramble-aborigines.pdf (article on Aboriginal/ settler race relations)
- Parramatta's Old Government House https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/places/old-government-house/
- Tocal's convicts 1822 to 1840 http://www.tocal.com/homestead/vandv/index.html (Hunter Valley NSW, info about individual convicts & convict life)
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Queensland (was NSW until 1859)
- Queensland State Archives records
Moreton Bay Convicts http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/Researchers/Indexes/Convicts/Pages/default.aspx
Moreton Bay Convict Records http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/subsite.aspx?id=55417
Pre Separation Resource Guide https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/cb108214-87a3-44d8-b7a8-156d63db09bc/resource/85c1de52-f039-4073-80dd-841556721cf2/download/corpdfsuserqsagreyjydocumentspdfs-for-qsa-websitepre-separation-resource-guide.pdf (records relating to Queensland when it was still part of NSW) - findmypast.com.au (costs)
Queensland Convict Register Index 1824-1839 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/queensland-convict-register-index-1824-1839
St Helena Convict Index 1863-1936 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/queensland-st-helena-convict-index-1863-1936 - Moreton Bay Convict Settlement and Penal Colony http://www.brisbanehistory.com/convict_era.html (article)
- Moreton Bay Penal Settlement 1824 to 1842 http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2014/06/12/moreton-bay-penal-settlement-1824-to-1842/ (Blog article, John Oxley library)
- State Library of Queensland
Convict Queenslanders http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/convict-queenslanders (biographical information)
Convict Transportation Database http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/family-history/convicts (incomplete index of convicts transported to all colonies)
How to trace a convict ancestor http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/family-history/convicts-research (research guide)
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South Australia (no convicts sent directly to South Australia, although emancipists settled there from elsewhere)
- Convicts transported from South Australia http://www.jaunay.com/convicts.html (those tried in SA courts, see also findmypast)
- findmypast.com.au (costs)
South Australia Convicts http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/south-australia-convicts (South Australians sentenced to transportation + recaptured runaways)
South Australian Ex-Convicts http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/south-australian-ex-convicts - Persons Lost and Found 1838 to 1920 http://www.familyhistorysa.info/sahistory/deserters.html (includes convict expirees arriving in South Australia from other colonies)
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Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land till 1853, was NSW until 1825)
- Convict portal http://www.linc.tas.gov.au/convict-portal (follow links to 'Before Transportation', 'Convict Life', 'Freedom' and 'Founders & Survivors')
- Tasmanian Names Index https://talis.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/names/ (includes index to convicts & convicts' permission to marry)
- Abbreviations and formats used in convict records http://www.linc.tas.gov.au/family-history/Pages/Convict-abbreviations.aspx
- Abbreviations used in Tasmanian convict records http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~austashs/convicts/conabbrev.html (commonly used abbreviations)
- Ancestry.com.au (costs)
Baptisms of Children of Convicted Women, 1833-1854 http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=60750
Despatches of the Governor's Office, 1823-1855 http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=60751 - Becoming Tasmania http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/php/BecomingTasmania/BTMainPage.htm (extracts from book primarily about convicts)
- Coal Mines historic site http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/attraction/coalmineshistoricsite
- Convict Department guide https://stors.tas.gov.au/au-7-0038-00120_1 (detailed guide to records)
- Convict Ships List http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~austashs/convicts/conships.htm (detailed but incomplete)
- Convict Voyages http://convictvoyages.org/expert-essays/tasmania (history)
- "Convicts' private lives discovered in Hobart" http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2011/s3273291.htm (news report)
- Convicts and the Colonial Period http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/Images/Colonial%20period%202.htm (many articles)
- Early Tasmanian government administration records http://www.linc.tas.gov.au/archive-heritage/guides-records/Pages/government.aspx (detailed guide to records)
- Female Convicts Research Centre http://www.femaleconvicts.org.au/ (lists of female convicts, their children, and those who worked with them, also magistrates & convict ships)
- findmypast.com.au (costs)
Settlers and Convicts 1787-1859 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/new-south-wales-and-tasmania-settlers-and-convicts-1787-1859
Tasmanian Convict Records 1800-1893 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/tasmania-convict-records-1800-1893 - Founders & Survivors http://foundersandsurvivors.org (information about convicts & descendants)
- Maria Island: Darlington Probation Station http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/about/world-heritage-areas/darlington-probation-station
- Orphan Schools & St John's Park Precinct http://www.orphanschool.org.au (information about Hobart institution & orphans)
- Port Arthur (Van Diemen's Land / Tasmania) http://portarthur.org.au (see under 'History', information about penal settlement)
- Port Arthur Life http://tsammons.wix.com/convict-life-in-port-arthur#!__life-at-port-arthur (history, video clips)
- Sorell, William: An examination of his convict settlement and establishment of free settlement http://eprints.utas.edu.au/11816/1/Sorell_Thesis.pdf (thesis)
- Tasmanian Convict List http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~austashs/convicts/conintro.htm (incomplete but with individual researchers' contacts)
- Transportation, Penal Ideology & the experience of juvenile offenders in England & Australia in the early 19th century http://chs.revues.org/416 (select 'English')
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Victoria (was NSW until 1851)
- Courts and Criminal Justice - Convict Records http://prov.vic.gov.au/provguide-57 (guide to Public Record Office Victoria)
- Justice, crime and law https://www.prov.vic.gov.au/explore-collection/explore-topic/justice-crime-and-law (gateway page)
- Register of Convicts c1842 to 1854 https://www.prov.vic.gov.au/explore-collection/explore-topic/register-convicts-1842-1854
- Victoria, Convict Register 1842-1854 http://search.findmypast.com.au/search-world-Records/victoria-convict-register-1842-1854 (on findmypast, costs)
- Victoria Government Gazette Online Archive 1836 to 1997 http://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au (includes 'NSW Government Gazette' 1836 to 1851)
- Victoria's early history, 1803-1851: convicts http://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/Victoriasearlyhistory/convicts (State Library of Victoria guide)
- Westernport Settlement of 1826 to 28 http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nswgdhs/westport.htm (now Corinella, Victoria - convicts, military & settlers)
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Western Australia (received convicts 1850 to 1868)
- Convict database http://fremantleprison.com.au/history-heritage/history/convict-database/
- Convict records of Western Australia http://www.friendsofbattyelibrary.org.au/PDF/Convict%20Records%20of%20Western%20Australia.pdf (research guide published by Friends of Battye Library
- Western Australia Convict records, 1846-1930 http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=60668 (on Ancestry.com.au, costs)
- Colonial Secretary's Office Records http://www.sro.wa.gov.au/archive-collection/collection/colonial-secretarys-office-records (records at State Records Office of Western Australia)
- Convict Records http://www.sro.wa.gov.au/archive-collection/collection/convict-records (records at State Records Office of Western Australia)
- Convicts in Western Australia http://slwa.wa.gov.au/dead_reckoning/indexes_and_catalogues/a-f2/convicts (records about WA convicts in state library & elsewhere)
- Convicts to Australia http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/ (Convict history, WA convicts & guards, all convict ships, NSW Convict women & bibliography)
Parkhurst Boys http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/park.html - Dead Reckoning
Convicts http://cms.slwa.wa.gov.au/dead_reckoning/indexes_and_catalogues/a-f2/convicts
Parkhurst Boys http://cms.slwa.wa.gov.au/dead_reckoning/government_archival_records/n-s/parkhurst_boys - Fremantle Prison http://fremantleprison.com.au/history-heritage/ (articles)
- Parkhurst Boys database http://membership.wags.org.au/members-data/public-data/parkhurst-boys
- Police Gazettes of Western Australia https://www.slwa.wa.gov.au/explore-discover/wa-heritage/police-gazettes (police & criminals in WA - & some elsewhere)
- The Western Australian Convicts http://honesthistory.net.au/wp/wp-content/uploads/712-Western-Australian-Convict-System.pdf (article)
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General
- Australian convict colonies map https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zBOxrQGsslek.kI_J9y8mX8KA&msa=0 (my map of convict colonies in Australia)
- Ancestry.com (Convict Collection) http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/group/AUConvicts (indents, musters, pardons & more, costs)
- Australian Royalty http://australianroyalty.net.au (information about convicts & their descendants)
- Biographical Database of Australia http://www.bda-online.org.au/ (free to search, costs to see detailed results)
- Bushranging Act (1830) http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/lawdemo/DOCS/BUSH.htm (law to suppress bushrangers, led to certificates of freedom for ex-convicts - & harassment of free settlers)
- Claim a Convict http://www.hawkesbury.net.au/claimaconvict/ (contact other convict descendants)
- Convict Creations http://www.convictcreations.com/ (information & interesting trivia about convicts)
- Convict Life http://www.pilotguides.com/tv-shows/short-history-of-the-world/a-short-history-of-convict-australia/ (aspects of daily life for convicts)
- Convict Punishment http://www.convictcreations.com/history/punishments.html (article)
- Convict research: how to trace a convict ancestor http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/family-history/convicts-research (guide)
also Finding out further family history http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/family-history/convict2 (guide) - Convict Transportation Registers Database http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/family-history/convicts (index of convict transportation registers, incomplete)
also http://www.convictrecords.com.au (new website, users can contribute information) - Convict Voyages - a global history of convicts & penal colonies http://convictvoyages.org/expert-essays ("expert essays on convicts around the world")
- Convict Women http://bit.ly/WhoresDamnedWhores ("Whores, damned whores and female convicts: Why our history does early Australian colonial women a grave injustice")
- Convicts and national character https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2008/july/1277335186/john-hirst/oddity-start
- Convicts Australia http://www.hotkey.net.au/~jwilliams4/cons.htm (links to indexes such as Convict absconders)
- Cora Num's Convict Records http://coraweb.com.au/categories/convicts (gateway site, also excellent book on convict sources)
- Crime and Punishment http://www.amw.org.au/sites/default/files/memory_of_the_world/index/crime-and-punishment.html (detailed history, UNESCO Memory of the World Program)
- Fellowship of First Fleeters http://www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au (for descendants of all those who came on First Fleet)
- 'Liberty or Life!': The Convict Pirates of the Wellington http://www.darkmatter101.org/site/2009/12/20/%E2%80%98liberty-or-life%E2%80%99-the-convict-pirates-of-the-wellington/ (article about convict escapees, pirates & public sympathy)
- Miscellaneous digitised official 'convict system' documents http://catalogue.slwa.wa.gov.au/search/?searchtype=X&SORT=D&searcharg=convict+system&searchscope=5&submit.x=33&submit.y=23&submit=Submit
- Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au (digitised newspapers, photos & much more)