ABSTRACT
Australia's convict-era heritage covers the continent and includes places of convict incarceration such as jails, labor factories, prison farms, and internment camps. Among other places recognized as part of the country's convict heritage are First Government House and the Great Northern Road, both of which were built with convict labor. This chapter focuses on the enclosure of the English countryside, major social changes and population movements resulting from land enclosures and the industrial revolution produced an increase in the landless and laboring poor. Historic documents about the renovation of the Road Gang Station into the Female Factory indicate that floorboards were installed into the convict dormitories as part of the renovation. The solitary cells are the only remaining separate treatment cells built explicitly for punishment of female convicts and they are considered highly significant for Australia's convict heritage. These cells were designed to maximize isolation.
