15th day of June 1815 Mary McKlenin ENGLAND Orcher Rd To my beautiful daughter Mary Living as a convict is definitely tough

.The food is horrible, the cells are freezing and smell like rotten eggs. I hardly get any water and when I do it!s just a mouthful and tastes like it comes from the sewer. Every morning I see a little native boy who!s name if Wonga he is very shy but inquisitive. He has a little dog that is his pet and he seems to understand what the native boy is saying. The dogs name is Bungi which I think means "protector! in native language. I look like a wreck. My hair is full of lice and my clothes are reduced to rags. I am surrounded by disease and squalor and see no end in sight. I hope you are fairing better than I. Are you in good health? Are you washing your hair? If I ever get out of here I might see all the wonderful things people say about this place. One of things that people say is that the land is great for farming and building crops and many other things. Sincerely yours Mother

Forget me not

11 day of March 1819 Country England Chip Street Dearest Emma, I am sorry I missed your birthday but when I come back we will have a big party. How is school? I hope you have learnt a lot of things .If you get this letter, please say hello to everyone. I should be back in two more years. It is so smelly here I hate it. At night I try to get fresh air and sometimes I fall asleep outside because it is better than inside .The food is horrible. The best is carrot stew with corn. I try to wash my clothes not like the other people. I drink a lot of rum because it relaxes me and I dream about home. I like the most of the animals. There are kangaroos, lizards and many strange ones. I found a plant that made me sick but I am all better now. There are many of these weird trees. I saw my best friend get whipped and it look so painful. Lucky I!ve never been whipped. So I am not very happy without you. I love you for ever. Sorry I have to go before I get into trouble I wish I could write more but just look after yourself and say hello to the family. Goodbye I love you, Yours sincerely John xoxo

17th day of April 1832 Matilda Morgan Kings Ave ENGLAND To my darling daughter Tilly, Its been a while since Ive heard from you or seen you. I start to worry you arent receiving my letters. Please Tilly, if you do get my letters, can you send something back to me? I really miss you. Since its your birthday in a few days, Im going to send you a present which is special that I got you when you were born. Im giving this to you because you havent seen it yet. Its almost like a time capsule. I hope you like it and I hope it gives you some memories of me. When I was in England, we only got given stale bread for everyone to fight for in prison. It was worse on the ship. We only got proper food and water if we did what the marines wanted. It was a little better when we arrived here on land. I have to work for my master every single day. I only have three breaks a day for only five minutes. I have to do everything around here. I wish I could at least have a day off, but why would he give me a break for twenty-four hours. My master always thinks he owns me, I hate it when people are like that. The only thing that I like about work is having to dress up the baby that belongs to my annoying master. Once when I had a break, I saw a native girl running through the bushes. I followed her but the beautiful plants and flowers distracted me. It was like a different world. There were so many pretty sights. I didnt know what to do, whether I should go and follow the native or stay and look at this beautiful place. I thought I should go follow the native girls because I could come back at this sight at my next break. At last I found her and she seemed friendly to me. I taught her some games you and your friends play at home. She really liked them. Afterwards, she taught me some games she and her friends play over here. I really enjoyed my time here with her. You know my dear Tilly I miss you very much and I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely,

Elizabeth Morgan

Direct, Victoria Lilydale, via Melbourne Sept 7/1786 My dear mother, It has been a long eighteen months since I last wrote to you. The small huts and rough roads are extremely different to the houses back in England. I trust I told you about how quickly my daughters are growing. Rose is exceeding in everything she does, I suppose she takes after you. Abigail has developed a strange fascination for insects, so every now and again the housekeeper comes to me with a little bottle with a spider or a beetle of some kind inside it. I wish you were here in this foreign land. I am grateful that I have a real brick house, but it has been hard to cope since my husbands passing. Life here requires hard work, but there are sometimes when I get to relax. Today I went in a small fishing boat, just along the coastline. There are many fish in so many colours. The birds here have the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. The native plants are very different to the ones back in England. If you are wondering about those savages that we call natives, they have not bothered us, yet we still feel they are lurking in the bush. There is a large amount of bushland and vast plains, as well as abundant fresh water rivers and springs. It is astoundingly beautiful. The land is very fertile and there are wildflowers covering the ground like that colourful quilt you made for me when I was young. The water is a beautiful turquoise at this time of year. It is warm in the summer and does not snow in winter, which is quite unusual if you ask me. The native animals are reasonably friendly and quite unusual. One in particular is a strange animal with a pouch around the area of the stomach that has large feet, which are about one yard long, and instead of running it jumps across the land. We neednt worry about supply ships, as there are many opportunities to hunt and farm your own food. My next crop is almost ready to harvest. I own two potato farms, three wheat farms and one corn farm. I have a small orchard outside my house and I keep a healthy vegetable garden. I feel everyone has forgotten us, but if you receive this letter, you will know we are doing well. Please write back to me as soon as you can. Your loving daughter, Lucy Abigail Smith P.S If you see my dear younger sister, please say hello to her for me.

1st day of March , 1899 Charlie Soft Cornish County Chiswick England To my darling Charlie I would very much wish you were here with us. Although sometimes I don t want to be here. Some act like such savages. As we are free settlers John and I have started a vegetable garden near a pretty beach. Sometimes when John goes down to collect some corn cobs for tea I would go down the beach and splash around in the rock pool area. Sometimes the natives come and swim with me. I have come to know one of the natives well. The native is a young girl around your age and she has taught me a little bit about her group. I have taught her English and she has caught on very well. She is almost like my Lucy. Did I mention her name was Colby? She is very cheeky. Oh did I mention that the trees here are very unusual. Just like the animals, which are so very strange. My daily life is very different to the old boring one back in England, as here it is simple but hard and very interesting. So every morning I will wake up, get ready and change then I will come down stairs and have morning tea. I would go to town to the vegetable garden and harvest what needs to be and do anything that needs to be done, then I would come inside and freshen up. I would get lunch ready for John and I after that I would call him in and we would start eating. John and I would then relax in the drawing room and read and then when it s finally time for after noon tea. We then have after noon tea and go to bed. It s already been a year here and Colby has been keeping me company. John doesn!t know about her yet but I m thinking!"#!telling him. From Maya Talbot

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