Last convict ship Hougoumont departs Portsmouth for Western Australia

Background. Western Australia began receiving convicts in 1850 despite initial free-settler intentions. British policy in 1865 stipulated one ship per year for 1865–1867, after which transportation to Western Australia would cease. The Hougoumont was chartered for this final voyage, marking the end of this specific penal system.

Voyage and Arrival. The ship departed Portsmouth on 12 October 1867 with 280 convicts and 108 passengers. The 89-day passage was largely uneventful, except for one convict death. The Hougoumont docked at Fremantle, Western Australia, on 10 January 1868, completing the last convict transport voyage to Australia.

Fenian Transportees. Among the convicts were 62 Fenian political prisoners convicted in England for their involvement in the 1867 Fenian Rising. These prisoners were part of the broader Irish republican movement seeking independence from the British Empire. Their transport marked the final group of political convicts sent to Western Australia.