Damon Mcknight
The early colonial years of Australia were dominated by British convicts, but free settlers also played a significant role in the country's history. These free settlers were people who chose to leave Britain and start anew in Australia. The first free settlers arrived in 1793, and life was challenging, with unfamiliar plants and animals, different seasons, and a hot, dry climate. The British government encouraged free settlement by offering transportation and land, which appealed to those suffering from the effects of the Industrial Revolution. Free settlers, along with convicts and the locally born, contributed to the development of an economy based on farming, fishing, whaling, trade, and construction. By 1830, their numbers had grown, and they played a part in the spread of the colony beyond its official bounds, leading to increasing conflict with Aboriginal people on their traditional lands.
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What You'll Learn
The British government encouraged free settlement
The British colonial government began to pay the transportation costs for many migrants in the early 1800s, particularly those who were less wealthy. This was appealing to people facing unemployment and poverty in Britain due to the Industrial Revolution. The government also provided free land on the condition that it would be used for productive purposes, such as farming or raising livestock. Most of the early free settlers were farmers, and they developed the land granted to them with the help of convicts assigned to work for them.
The British government's encouragement of free settlement had a significant impact on the development of Australia. By 1820, British settlement had expanded beyond the initial confines around Sydney, and the number of free settlers continued to grow steadily. The colony spread beyond the official bounds of settlement, and by 1830, free settlers and locally born individuals outnumbered the convict population in New South Wales. This led to public demands for representative government and the establishment of new colonies, such as the Swan River Colony in Western Australia, which was founded as a free settlement in 1829.
The impact of free settlement was also felt in the economic and social development of the colonies. Governor Lachlan Macquarie played a key role in this transition, establishing a bank, a currency, and a hospital, as well as commissioning extensive public works. He advocated for the social equality of emancipists and free settlers, contributing to the development of a civil society. The expansion of grazing lands and the establishment of towns, such as Melbourne in 1837, further shaped the economic and demographic landscape of Australia.
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Free settlers' impact on Indigenous Australians
The arrival of free settlers in Australia had a significant and devastating impact on Indigenous Australians and their way of life. Before the arrival of Europeans, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples lived as hunter-gatherers, with a deep spiritual connection to their land, known as 'Country'. Each clan relied on their Country for food, shelter, medicine, and tools, and they did not believe in the concept of owning the land.
However, the British settlers viewed the land as 'terra nullius', or land belonging to no one, as they saw no signs of land ownership such as fences or crops. This belief allowed them to justify the colonisation and takeover of Indigenous land. As the number of free settlers increased, they expanded their settlements into Aboriginal territory, leading to conflict and violent clashes. The settlers cleared land for farming and fenced off areas, restricting Indigenous communities' access to vital resources like clean water, hunting grounds, and food supplies.
The introduction of new diseases by the Europeans also had a devastating impact on Indigenous populations, as they had no immunity to illnesses such as smallpox, influenza, bronchitis, measles, and scarlet fever. The lack of proper nutrition and clean water further exacerbated these health issues. Additionally, sacred sites of Indigenous peoples were destroyed, and many Indigenous men and women were forced to work for the colonists, particularly in the cattle industry and domestic work.
The settlement of Australia by free settlers resulted in the dispossession and marginalisation of Indigenous Australians, who faced violence, disease, and the destruction of their traditional ways of life. The impact of this colonisation continues to affect Indigenous communities today, with ongoing struggles for reconciliation, justice, and the recognition of their rights and cultural significance.
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The role of children in free settler families
The early years of settlement in Australia were difficult, with starvation a constant concern. All members of the colony, including children, had to contribute to prevent the colony from failing. The children of most free settlers had to work hard, performing chores such as fetching water, washing dishes, helping with the laundry, and gathering wood. They also did farm work, such as feeding the animals, milking the cows, shearing sheep, and harvesting crops. Girls were expected to knit, sew, cook, clean, and look after younger siblings, while boys sometimes helped their fathers in construction work.
There were few schools in the early years of settlement, and most children did not attend. Schooling did not become compulsory in New South Wales until 1880. Children in wealthy families had more privileged lives, with servants doing the work that occupied so much of the time of children in poorer families. Children of the elite attended school or were educated at home by tutors or governesses.
The scarcity of children in the regulated penal colony of New South Wales meant that their physical growth and behavioural characteristics were closely monitored. As the free settler population grew and the colony expanded, the role of children in these families evolved. By the late 1800s, leisure time and facilities had expanded, and children participated in attractions that marked Sydney's growing prominence within the British Empire. Middle-class children enjoyed family outings, picnics, and organised sports, and religion played an important role in their moral instruction and sense of community.
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Free settlers' housing in colonial Australia
The first free settlers in Australia paid their way, so they were usually quite wealthy. The British government encouraged less wealthy people to migrate by paying their transportation costs and granting them free land on the condition that they used it productively. The offer appealed to people suffering from unemployment and poverty in Britain due to the Industrial Revolution. The government also provided free agricultural tools and convict labour to help them establish farms.
The first free settlers arrived in Australia aboard the Bellona in early 1793. The Bellona was not the first ship to arrive in Australia, however. The First Fleet arrived in 1788 carrying more than 700 convicts to start a new penal settlement in Sydney. Additional convict ships arrived in 1790 and 1791, also carrying hundreds of free people, mostly soldiers and their families.
The early settlers' homes were built using a technique called wattle and daub. Wattle-and-daub houses usually had two rooms, one with a fireplace and chimney. The houses of wealthy landowners and government officials were larger and more elaborate. They were typically made from materials such as sandstone or brick and surrounded by gardens. Wattle-and-daub homes were built using wooden stakes that were put into the ground, and branches were woven between them to make walls. The walls were then smeared with clay or mud to make them weatherproof. Acacia trees were most commonly used for these houses because of their flexible branches, and Australian acacias are often called wattles.
In the mid-1800s, adobe or mud brick construction became more common. By the 1820s, the grazing of sheep and cattle expanded rapidly, and the colony spread beyond the official bounds of settlement. By 1830, free settlers and the locally born exceeded the convict population of New South Wales.
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The growth of free settlement in New South Wales
Life for these early settlers was challenging due to the hot, dry climate, unfamiliar plants and animals, and the struggle to find fertile land. Starvation was a constant concern. As a result, all members of the settlement, including children, had to contribute to the colony's survival. Despite these challenges, conditions gradually improved in the early 1800s as settlers expanded inland from the coast, opening up more land for farming and livestock. Most of these early free settlers were farmers who developed the land granted to them by the government with the help of assigned convicts.
To encourage further free settlement, the British colonial government began offering incentives in the early 1800s, including paying transportation costs and providing free land and agricultural tools. These offers appealed to those suffering from unemployment and poverty in Britain due to the Industrial Revolution. New South Wales was not the only colony attracting free settlers; the Swan River Colony in Western Australia, founded in 1829, was another destination.
By the 1820s, the grazing of sheep and cattle expanded rapidly, and the colony spread beyond its official boundaries. This expansion led to increasing conflict with Aboriginal people on their traditional lands. By 1830, the population of free settlers and locally born individuals exceeded the convict population in New South Wales. The growing population of free settlers played a significant role in the transition of New South Wales from a penal colony to a budding civil society, with demands for representative government.
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Frequently asked questions
Free settlers were people who chose to leave Britain and make a new life in Australia. The first free settlers arrived in Australia aboard the Bellona in 1793.
The growing population of free settlers, along with former convicts and Australian-born individuals, led to public demands for a representative government. This contributed to the development of a civil society in Australia. The free settlers also contributed to the expansion of farming and livestock grazing, which led to increasing conflict with Aboriginal people on their traditional lands.
The free settlers in Australia faced challenges due to the hot and dry climate, unfamiliar plants and animals, and different seasons compared to Britain. They also had to clear the land, which often involved the eviction and dispossession of Indigenous inhabitants, leading to conflict and violence.
