13/05/2026
On this day in 1787, the journey to a new colony began.
The First Fleet of 11 ships and over 1400 people left Portsmouth, England and sailed towards New South Wales and what would be the first permanent European settlement in Australia.
This forced migration started with around 800 convicts, of which less than 200 were female, with the youngest girl recorded as 13 year-old Elizabeth Hayward aboard the ‘Lady Penrhyn’.
Their roles were to be housemaids, cooks, nurses, and labourers. They would sew up the convict uniforms, help with food production, and become ‘hutkeepers’.
With the extreme ratio of men to women, they were often forced into relationships, or formed them with fellow convicts or soldiers in order to have stability in the chaos of colonial life. Early accounts would vilify and judge this behaviour, with these reputations and labels set to follow them throughout the colonies and years.
The history of the First Fleet and colonisation is complex.
We will continue to learn from it, and from the stories of the women who came here through extreme circumstances or against their will.
