Sydney - A Convict's Life Preview

Her Life In Chains

In 1825, Sydney was a harsh penal colony. Eleanor Fraser was one of many women exiled for crimes of poverty or defiance. Walk with her through The Rocks, where every stone holds a story of survival.

1

First Fleet Park

Thousands of convicts, including women, first stepped onto Australian soil here. Female prisoners were paraded for muster, causing such a stir that they were later inspected aboard ships instead. This park marks the beginning of their long and uncertain journey into servitude.

2

Commissariat Stores

This site once held the Commissariat Stores, where women were inspected like cargo upon arrival. Those chosen were assigned to households; the rest were sent to Parramatta Female Factory. Here, futures were decided in moments, without choice or voice.

3

Cadman's Cottage

Built in 1816, Cadman’s Cottage represents a rare case of a convict who rose to respectability. For women like Eleanor, such upward mobility was nearly impossible. The cottage became a quiet reminder of what might never be theirs—freedom and respect.

4

The Rocks Discovery Museum

The Rocks Discovery Museum stands where convict women once laboured behind the scenes. They cleaned, cooked, and endured in silence—forgotten in records but vital to the colony. Their stories echo in the worn stone and smoky hearths.

5

Susannah Place Museum

Though built after Eleanor’s time, Susannah Place reflects homes women like her dreamed of. Convict women traded chains for brooms, stitching lives out of hardship. These cottages whisper of quiet dignity hard-earned over time.

6

The Big Dig - Archaeological Site

Below this ground lie the remains of over 30 convict-era homes, once filled with struggle and survival. Women raised families in cramped quarters, leaving traces of unrecorded lives. This archaeological site preserves their resilience in stone.

7

Cumberland Place Steps

These narrow stairs once marked the boundary between duty and danger. Convict women risked severe punishment if caught after curfew without written leave. Each step could mean safety—or sudden disappearance.

8

The Fortune of War

The Fortune of War pub was a risky haven for convict women after dark. Alehouses blurred lines between escape and exploitation. Behind its doors, many vanished into histories never written.

9

Nurses Walk

Behind this lane stood the colony’s first hospital, staffed in part by convict women. They worked without training, care, or thanks—washing blood and comforting the dying. These women were essential, invisible, and unacknowledged.

10

George Street Markets

George Street bustled with trade, but for convict women, it was a space of scrutiny. They ran errands for masters, watched but unwelcome. Few found opportunity—most simply endured.

11

Dawes Point Battery

Dawes Point Battery defended the colony from threats abroad—but fear for convict women came from within. Pirates once hung from gibbets here, a warning to all. The cannons stood as a symbol of silent control.

12

Hinkson Road Reserve

This shoreline was where dreams of escape met the reality of exile. From here, ships left with free settlers while convict women stayed, bound by sentence. Eleanor stood here too, staring out to a world beyond reach.