If you're Australian or American there’s a good chance you had an ancestor who was a criminal. Beginning in the 1600’s Great Britain began shipping criminals overseas with nearly 50,000 sent to the new colonies in America over a 150 year period. After the American Revolution, Great Britain found another place to send their naughty countrymen – Australia. It was January 26, 1788, when Britain sent the first ships loaded with con men and women to what would be called New South Wales. Later the name of this area was changed to the city we know as Sydney. Norfolk Island of New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Island (now the island of Tasmania) were the two most notable penal colonies.

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