Includes index.

Bibliography: p. 238-241.

"'Not much attempt had been made to enforce discipline among the women, many of them London prostitutes, who had turned the ship into a floating brothel at her various ports of call.'
Such is the general view of the voyage of the 'Lady Julian' from England to the new colony of New South Wales, transporting more than 200 convict women, mainly taken from London's fever-ridden, overcrowded Newgate Gaol. The reality was both more complex and more interesting, dramatically different from the well-known stories of hellish journeys to Australia. The women aboard the 'Lady Julian' arrived in Australia healthier and happier than they had ever been before.
According to custom, each sailor was entitled to take a woman, an arrangement that brought privileges to the women as well as relief for the men. John Nicol, steward and ship's cooper for the voyage, fell deeply in love with 19-year-old Sarah Whitelam, convicted of theft worth more than 51 shillings. Their child was one of several born during the voyage. What happened to them after arriving at Port Jackson is one of the many fascinating stories in this lively and refreshing book. Sian Rees casts a new light on an important and under-documented corner of Austrlia's history." -- Back cover