Van Diemen’s Women: A History of Transportation to Tasmania

Van Diemen’s Women tells the powerful true story of 138 female convicts and their children who left Ireland aboard the Tasmania in 1845, bound for Hobart. Drawing on original records, authors Joan Kavanagh and Dianne Snowden uncover the harsh realities of transportation – and the unexpected ways it transformed lives. Focusing on two women in particular – Eliza Davis, sentenced to life for infanticide, and Margaret Butler, transported for stealing potatoes – the book explores how this brutal punishment could also offer a second chance. Rich in detail and humanity, Van Diemen’s Women sheds light on the experiences and legacies of those who helped shape Tasmania’s early colonial society.