Convict transportation to Western Australia begins with Scindian

Background. Western Australia was not formally constituted as a penal colony until 1849, despite receiving juvenile offenders from 1842. The colony's people were generally opposed to accepting convicts for the first fifteen years, though the idea remained in constant circulation. Governor Charles Fitzgerald was appointed in July 1848 and was probably instructed to promote convictism. The first convicts arrived in 1850, marking the start of a period where transportation continued until 1868.

Arrival. The Scindian is widely considered the first convict ship to transport convicts to Western Australia. It departed Portsmouth on 4 March 1850 under Captain James Cammell and surgeon-superintendent John Gibson. The ship docked at Fremantle on 1 June 1850 after an 89-day voyage, carrying 75 male prisoners.

Context. Fremantle became Australia's primary destination for convicts with the advent of penal transportation in 1850. The Round House was inadequate to house the first 75 convicts. This arrival followed earlier Parkhurst apprentices, who were not considered convicts by Western Australian authorities but were classified as such in English records.