Living in a penal colony, the criminals were employed depending on their various skills: farmer, boatman, servant etc. Those on the fleets included the criminals, marines, and their families. Many of the fleets from England were destined for New South Wales, Australia. The reason driving the deportation included an attempt to decrease poverty and crime in England while concurrently developing the British colony in Australia. In order to deal with the overwhelming masses of criminals, the government exported crowds of convicts to Australia to serve their term as labourers. These people, known as ‘convicts’, had committed crimes such as larceny and robbery – acts which were considered severe offenses and demanded heavy sentences. Backgroundĭuring 18th century to mid 19th century, 162,000 men and women were transported to Australia, with majority from England. This novel tells the story of Australia's founding and the moral choices made when Europeans colonised land that was already inhabited by Aboriginal people.
The Secret River is a historical novel telling the story of William Thornhill, a poor Englishman from the early 19th century who was deported and transported to New South Wales, Australia in 1806 for theft. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response.
The Secret River is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response.
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