Daily Life in the Penal Settlement
Year 4 History Life in Early Sydney Cove What was it really like?
What do you think daily life was like?
Think about: What did people eat? Where did they sleep? What work did they do? What challenges did they face?
Who lived in the settlement?
Convicts - people sent from Britain as punishment Free settlers - chose to come to Australia Marines and officers - kept order and ran the colony Aboriginal people - the original inhabitants
Where did people live?
Convicts lived in wooden huts with many others Officers had better houses with more space Some people lived in tents at first No glass windows - just wooden shutters Dirt floors and simple furniture
Convict Life vs. Free Settler Life
{"left":"Convicts worked 6 days a week for the government\nFree settlers could choose their own work\nConvicts ate basic rations of salt pork and bread\nFree settlers could buy better food if they had money","right":"Convicts wore rough government clothing\nFree settlers wore their own clothes\nConvicts needed permission to move around\nFree settlers had more freedom to travel"}
What work did people do?
Building houses, roads, and bridges Farming and growing food Making tools and furniture Cooking and cleaning Guarding and keeping records Caring for the sick
Role-Play: A Day in My Life
Choose your character: Convict worker Free settler family Marine officer Act out your typical day Show your work, meals, and challenges
From a Real Diary
"The work is very hard and the food is not much. We wake when the bell rings and work until dark. Although life is difficult, we hope for better days." - Diary of a convict, 1789
What we learned about daily life
Life was very hard and structured Different people had very different experiences Everyone had to work hard to survive People hoped for a better future We can learn about the past from diaries and pictures
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