Leslie Massey
Between 1788 and 1868, the British government sent over 160,000 convicts to Australia. The living conditions of these convicts varied depending on their circumstances, but their diets were generally meagre but sufficient for survival. Convicts had two meals a day, with breakfast consisting of bland porridge and dinner consisting of meat and bread. Each week, they were given 7 pounds of salt beef or 4 pounds of pork, 3 pints of dried peas, 7 pounds of flour, 6 ounces of butter, and half a pound of rice (or an extra pound of flour if rice was not available).
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of meals per day | 2 |
| First meal | Bland porridge |
| Last meal | Meat and bread |
| Weekly rations | 7 pounds of salt beef or 4 pounds of pork |
| 3 pints of dried peas | |
| 7 pounds of flour | |
| 6 ounces of butter | |
| Half a pound of rice (or an extra pound of flour if rice was not available) |
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What You'll Learn
Convict rations: meat, bread, rice, flour, peas, butter, and porridge
Convict rations in Australia were basic and meagre, but sufficient to sustain life. The food was designed to meet nutritional needs while being cost-effective. Convicts received two meals a day. Breakfast was a simple porridge, providing energy for the day ahead. Dinner was a piece of meat and bread.
The weekly rations for each convict consisted of 7 pounds of salt beef or 4 pounds of pork, 3 pints of dried peas, 7 pounds of flour, 6 ounces of butter, and half a pound of rice (or an extra pound of flour if rice was unavailable). This diet provided the necessary nutrients to sustain the convicts through their labour. If a convict didn’t complete their work, they would go to bed hungry, creating an incentive to finish their assigned tasks.
Female convicts ate similar rations to male convicts, but a wider variety of foods was available for home kitchens. Female convicts typically performed domestic work, serving in the homes of colonial officials and free settlers. They cooked, cleaned, and sometimes looked after children. Some were sent to "female factories", where they spun wool and flax, made blankets and rope, and did needlework.
Convicts who worked for free settlers could earn their own living through good behaviour and hard work. By the mid-1830s, only about 6% of convicts were locked up in prison. The experience of convicts varied greatly depending on their individual circumstances and the quality of their "master". Some masters treated convicts well, while others were cruel.
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Two meals a day
Convicts transported to Australia from Britain between 1788 and 1868 survived by working for the government or free settlers and earning their living through good behaviour and hard work. Convicts were provided with two meals a day. The first meal of the day was breakfast, which usually consisted of a serving of bland porridge. This simple meal gave them the energy they needed to start their day of hard work. Porridge was a common breakfast food for convicts, providing them with the necessary energy to begin their labour.
The second meal of the day for convicts was dinner, which typically consisted of meat and bread. Each week, they were given rations of 7 pounds of salt beef or 4 pounds of pork, 3 pints of dried peas, 7 pounds of flour, 6 ounces of butter, and half a pound of rice or an extra pound of flour if rice was not available. This diet provided the necessary nutrients to sustain them through their labour. Female convicts had access to a wider variety of foods for home kitchens.
Convicts would sometimes keep some of their bread from dinner to eat later as they did not have access to another meal until breakfast the next day. This practice ensured that they had enough energy to get through the night until their next meal. The meals provided to convicts in Australia were meagre but sufficient for survival, focusing on practicality and cost-effectiveness to meet basic nutritional needs.
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Female convicts had access to a wider variety of food
Convicts in Australia survived by working for the government or free settlers and earning their living through good behaviour and hard work. While male convicts performed hard labour, female convicts usually did domestic work, serving in the homes of colonial officials, cooking, cleaning, and sometimes looking after children.
Female convicts ate similar rations to male convicts, but they had access to a wider variety of foods in home kitchens. Convicts typically had two meals per day, with breakfast consisting of bland porridge and dinner consisting of meat and bread. They would keep some of their bread to eat later as they did not have access to another meal until the next day. Each week, they were given 7 pounds of salt beef or 4 pounds of pork, 3 pints of dried peas, 7 pounds of flour, 6 ounces of butter, and half a pound of rice (or an extra pound of flour if rice was not available). This diet provided the necessary nutrients to sustain the convicts during their labour-intensive days.
Female convicts were also sent to "female factories" in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, which were prisons that also served as places of production. Here, they spun wool and flax, made blankets and rope, and did needlework, among other tasks. The living conditions in these factories were dreadful, with overcrowding, poor sanitation, and widespread disease.
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Food in modern Australian prisons: nutritionally adequate, cost-effective, and practical
In the past, convicts in Australia survived by working for the government or free settlers and earning their living through good behavior and hard work. Their diets were meagre but sufficient for survival, consisting of two meals per day: breakfast, a bland porridge, and dinner, a piece of meat and bread. Each week, they were given specific rations of meat, flour, butter, rice, and dried peas.
Today, food in Australian prisons aims to be nutritionally adequate, cost-effective, and practical. While it may not be luxurious, it is designed to meet basic nutritional needs. Prisoners receive three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is usually straightforward, including items like bread, jam, margarine, cereal, tea, coffee, and milk. Lunches during the week are often cold meals, such as pre-packaged sandwiches or wraps with various fillings, while weekends might offer hot options like pies or sausage rolls. Dinners vary; in some prisons, they are frozen meals that are heated up, while in privately-owned prisons, they may be prepared by inmates working in the kitchen.
Prisoners with specific dietary needs due to medical, cultural, ethnic, or religious reasons can request special meals, and these are typically accommodated. Some prisons, like the Alexander Maconochie Centre in Canberra, offer seasonal menus with vegetarian, vegan, halal, and exotic options, aiming to improve the diets and health of inmates. However, not all prisons provide nutritionally sufficient meals, and some inmates choose to buy a limited amount of perishable food to cook themselves or purchase additional food items like canned tuna, instant noodles, and chocolate with their earnings or money sent by family. Overall, while the food in modern Australian prisons may not be enjoyable, it aims to be practical, cost-effective, and nutritionally adequate to maintain the health and well-being of inmates.
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Meals for convicts varied based on their work and behaviour
Meals for convicts in Australia varied based on their work and behaviour. The British government shipped more than 160,000 convicts to Australia between 1788 and 1868, and their experiences were diverse. The rations given to convicts were meagre but sufficient for survival. Convicts typically had two meals a day: breakfast, which usually consisted of bland porridge, and dinner, which was a piece of meat and bread.
The lives of convicts varied depending on their individual circumstances. For instance, the experience of a convict locked up in a remote penal colony was very different from that of a convict doing farm work on a free settler's land. Most convicts were assigned to free settlers, or "masters", and their experience was influenced by the quality of the master. Some masters treated convicts well, while others were cruel. Convicts who were punished for offences such as drunkenness, swearing, and stealing with a stint in a chain gang doing gruelling work like road building, likely had a very different diet to those who were not.
Female convicts, who usually did domestic work, ate similar rations to male convicts but had access to a wider variety of foods in home kitchens. They served in the homes of colonial officials, cooking, cleaning, and sometimes looking after children. Thousands of women were sent to "female factories", which were prisons that also served as places of production. Here, they spun wool and flax, made blankets and rope, and did needlework, among other tasks.
Convicts who worked hard and behaved well could earn their living and survive in Australia. However, if a convict didn't complete their work, they would go to bed hungry, creating an incentive to finish their assigned tasks.
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Frequently asked questions
Convicts in Australia ate a bland porridge for breakfast.
Convicts in Australia ate two meals a day.
Convicts in Australia ate meat and bread for dinner.
Each week, convicts in Australia were given 7 pounds of salt beef or 4 pounds of pork, 3 pints of dried peas, 7 pounds of flour, 6 ounces of butter, and half a pound of rice (or an extra pound of flour if rice was not available).
The food provided to convicts in Australia was intended to meet basic nutritional needs and provide sufficient energy for survival and hard work.
