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Tony Robinson of Time Team fame, takes us on a journey through time and places across Australia, offering a revealing and unique perspective on Australian society and history. In this 6 part series Tony introduces us to locations where deeds great and grotesque, heralded and hidden took place. There will be surprising stories of conflicts, hardship, notoriety and discovery as Tony brings fascinating new insights into the impact the British have had on Australian life. The series will roughly follow a chronology: from the earliest sightings of Terra Australis Incognita through to today. Each era will be defined by a theme (rather than equal blocks of time). The characters who left their fingerprints on Australia’s formative years were predominantly English and Irish.
Tony Robinson (played Baldrick in the Black Adder series with Rowan Atkinson), explores the history of settlement in Australia from its humble beginnings as a dumping ground for British criminals.
Tony investigates early settlers to Australia and finds their challenges to grow and find food and their relationships with the Aboriginals.
The authority of the penal government is repeatedly questioned by convicts and soldiers; we also look at solitary confinement in Port Arthur. Tony also finds out that he gas a skeleton in his family's closet.
The discovery of gold brings people, commerce, corruption and dissent to Australia.
Tony explores why Australia's need for migrants leads to bounties for human cargo from the UK and Ireland; immigration and multiculturalism.
No overview available.
