In this episode, we dive into one of the darkest chapters of convict transportation to Australia: the voyage of the Neptune, the notorious ship of the Second Fleet. This 1790 journey was marked by unprecedented cruelty, neglect, and tragedy, with the highest death toll in the history of convict transportation. We explore the harsh conditions aboard the Neptune, where over 500 convicts were packed into overcrowded, disease-ridden holds, with little food, water, or medical care.

SOURCES

Collins, D. (1975) An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, with Remarks on the Dispositions, Customs, Manners, etc., of the Native Inhabitants of that Country. Vol. 1, edited by B.H. Fletcher. Terrey Hills, NSW: A.H. and A.W. Reed, in association with the Royal Australian Historical Society. (Originally published 1798–1802 by T. Cadell & W. Davis, London), p. 366.

Edwell, P. (2016) 'Neptune', Dictionary of Sydney. Available at: ttps://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/neptune (Accessed: 31 August 2024).

Flynn, M. (1993) The Second Fleet: Britain's Grim Convict Armada of 1790. Sydney: Library of Australian History.

Hill, D. (2008) 1788: The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet. Sydney: Random House Australia.

State Library of New South Wales (2017) Elizabeth Macarthur: Letter to her mother, 1789-1790. Available at: https://archival-classic.sl.nsw.gov.au/_transcript/2017/D37898/c05322.html (Accessed: 26 September 2024).

State Library of New South Wales (2017) Letter from William Hill to Jonathan Wathen, Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, 26 July 1790 (copy made in 1791). Available at: https://archival-classic.sl.nsw.gov.au/_transcript/2017/D00007/a136.html (Accessed: 26 September 2024).

LINKS

Get your copy of Convict Australia, Extraordinary true stories of shipwrecks, riots, daring escapes and more.

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Get your copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners. https://www.amazon.com.au/Convict-Sydney-real-life-stories-prisoners-ebook/dp/B08C22QQMJ

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