Was Australia originally a British prison island?

Answer 1

This was partly the case. Firstly, there were almost as many marines, sailors and officers as there were convicts on the First Fleet. Secondly, Australia is not an island.

Australia was primarily settled as a convict colony, as conditions in England in the 18th century were tough: the industrial revolution had made it harder for people to earn an honest wage as simpler tasks were replaced by machine labour. Unemployment rose, and consequently, so did crime, especially the theft of basic necessities such as food and clothing. The authorities elected to clamp down heavily on people for minor penalties, hoping to stem the tide of rising crime. The British prison system was soon full to overflowing, and a new place had to be found to ship the prison inmates. The American colonies were no longer viable, following the American war of Independence. England had resorted to using old ships - hulks - to place the convicts at night, but they were extremely unhealthy and overcrowded. Also, the West Indies and Africa were unsuitable due to disease and climate, and India already crowded.

Following Captain Cook's voyage to the South Pacific in 1770, the previously uncharted continent of New Holland proved to be suitable. Cook had claimed the eastern half of the continent for England, naming it "New South Wales", and determined that a small bay in the south which he named "Botany Bay" would present the ideal conditions for a penal colony.

However, there were other equally important reasons for colonising Australia.

A colony which established Britain's claim on Australia would also help expand the British Empire and provide a physical presence in the south Pacific. This held both strategic and economic/trade advantages for England. Also, the presence of a colony would enable England to lay claim to Australia during a time when France was rapidly expanding its empire as well.

The Australian continent also had Natural Resources and raw materials which England wanted.

Answer 2

British Penal Colonies were set up in Australia and convicts were shipped there from Britain. Many of the convicts remained in Australia when they were released.