Women Transported – a riveting exhibition

a riveting exhibition about the harsh experiences endured by women who were incarcerated in Australia is now on show.

People with a deep interest in history on flights to Perth will have to check out a riveting exhibition about the harsh experiences endured by women who were incarcerated in Australia.

Presented by the University of Western Sydney and Parramatta Heritage Centre, this exhibition reveals the powerful history of these marginalised women whom the curators have described as the ‘mothers of the nation’.

Australian history is deeply entwined with the penal system. It is estimated that one in five Australians has an ancestor who spent time in a convict female factory.

There is, unfortunately, very little official records that survives from the period.

The exhibition documents the experiences of these women in the late 18th and early 19th century.

There are photographs, artworks, letters and films that bring to life this very tragic but affecting experience.

Supported by Visions of Australia, an Australian Government program supporting the development and touring of Australian cultural material across Australia, the exhibition runs until July 9th 2011.

Written by Alex Cochrane