In late-18th-century Britain, people were hanged for petty offences, yet crime was rife. The gaols were bursting & over-flow prisoners were kept in notorious 'hulks': rotting old ships moored offshore. Out of this situation was born the 'solution'
- ' The Sydney Experiment': criminals perceived to 'damage' British society would be transported to Australia. Thus Sydney was founded as 'an open-air prison' with 'walls 14, 000 miles thick'.
There were orgies, diseases, court marshalls, hangings, escapes & hunger.. . Tom Keneally tells the fascinating story of how Governor Arthur Phillip, despotic ruler of New South Wales, imposed order between the convicts, sailors & native aboriginal tribespeople... & how the 'open-air prison' eventually developed into one of the most vibrant cities in the world.