THE FIRST CONVICT SETTLEMENT ON NORFOLK ISLAND (1788-1814)

Take your students back to discover the convict settlement on Norfolk Island. This very early convict settlement on a remote island off the East Coast began a mere 4 years after the First Fleet reached Sydney Cove. Find out why this island was chosen. Find out why it was named “Sydney Town”. Discover why this coastal area was chosen to construct the buildings. The maps will indicate the challenges of the site and show why the coral reef area caused the wreck of HMS Sirius - the flagship of the First Fleet. This settlement was abandoned in 1814 and the wooden buildings were deliberately set on fire. The stone buildings were dismantled. This is all part of Australia’s early colonial history. The follow-up unit on the Second Convict Settlement (1825-1854) is regarded as an example of brutal treatment of convicts at the prisons of Kingston.