When we think of Australia's early penal colonies, the images that come to mind are grim.
We think of heavy iron shackles, the sting of the lash, and the sweltering, unsanitary conditions of a foreign land.
But according to one historian, there was also music and dancing.
Story by Wiriya Sati.
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Image Details
There are no pictures of convicts dancing. This picture gives an impression how dancing might have looked in the numerous public houses in the early colony.
Parramatta, Hobart, University of Queensland, Port Macquarie, Early Music, History, Historians