Remind an Aussie of their country's period as Britain's number one choice of penal colony, and they'll probably just remind you how much has been achieved in the past 200 years from such humble origins. Conditions were often harsh, and settlers were even more often underprepared, but still they survived. While hardly the basis of modern Australian society, Van Diemen's Land tells the true story of Andrew Pearce, and his escape from a Tasmanian penal settlement alongside seven other convicts. Far from the celebration of the human spirit in Rabbit Proof Fence, here you are shown the savagery and desperation of those banished half way round the world, often for something as petty as stealing just six pairs of shoes. As supplies dwindle and hunger grows, the men start looking to each other (quite literally) for their next meal. Admittedly a rather extreme view of this overstated period in Australian history (settlers consisted of more than just prisoners), but one that goes to show just how tough survival was for those who weren't ready for it.
