Hi all

I haven't been researching my family history for very long but I got serious when I realised I was the sole repository of all my family's memorabilia. My first objective was to find when and why my four families came to Australia. I found convicts, assisted migrants, free settlers and 20th Century johnnies-come-lately.

The bulk of my predecessors are poor rural folk from NSW and Queensland from 1820s on. This is my research focus, delving into agricultural labourers, squatters, bushrangers, miners and chancers. With a bit of horse stealing thrown in for good measure.

Greetings all - my ancestral arrivals to Australia include a convict and her daughter in 1790 to NSW then to Norfolk Island.   Later arriving ancestors were convicts and free settlers to Tasmania as well as more free settlers to SA.  I have recently been researching my 1790 ancestor and her daughter's family - by creating a timeline I have been able to sort their movements.   I'm finding that the early (1790 to early 1800) resources are a bit scattered and not all available online but when you find them they can be gold!