Thank you to everyone who has contacted me, I hope the information below will give you even more information than I provided last night. After NSW, the exhibition will go to Canberra in November then Hobart in January, then Brisbane in May, however check your local directories for venues and exact dates. One in five Australian women are descended from convict women so it's fitting that an exhibition telling the stories of those early arrivals will be held in Parramatta, one of the earliest European settlements. Parramatta's Prince Alfred Park was the site of the first Female Factory in Australia, in 1804. It then moved to Fleet Street and remains of the factory, which opened in 1821, can be seen today. Women Transported - Life in Australia's Convict Female Factories opens at the Parramatta Heritage Centre on August 2. The curator of the exhibition, Gay Hendriksen, said the stories that have come out of the factories were ``very wild, very sad and very interesting''. "These women are the mothers of our nation,'' Mrs Hendriksen said. "They were convict women waiting to be employed by free settlers, waiting to give birth and waiting to be married. Colonial men or convict men could come and ask for a wife and they'd have one hour to talk. The women could reject their request it was like speed dating.'' Mrs Hendriksen said all the women incarcerated in the female factories did laundry, weaved, spun fabrics and a variety of other work. Artifacts included in the exhibition were some of the "very few'' in existence that had a direct connection to these women, Mrs Hendriksen said. They include a christening gown, a laundry-thumper, spindle and bookmarks. Maureen Upfold, of Pennant ! Hills, is a descendent of two convict women Mary Wilson and Anne Dunne, who arrived in 1806 and 1831 respectively. Mrs Upfold has lent an ambrotype of Ms Dunne to the exhibition. "She was sent here for stealing linen and Mary Wilson for stealing household goods including pillow cases, stockings and butter - and she had five aliases,'' Mrs Upfold said. Both brought their young children with them, she said. Mrs Hendriksen said a series of public programs would be held in August-November to accompany the exhibition, which will later visit four states. The history of convict women had been largely ignored, Mrs Hendriksen said. "The first industrial action riot happened in 1827 at the Parramatta Female Factory when women demanded better food and working conditions.'' Details: For full event details visit www.parracity.nsw.gov.au or phone 8839 3311. Gay Hendriksen, Curator Parramatta Heritage and Visitor Information Centre PO Box 32 Parramatta NSW 2124 346A Church Street Parramatta NSW 2150 T 02 8839 3324 M 0404 834 541 F 02 9683 5608 ghendriksen@parracity.nsw.gov.au This exhibition includes rarely accessible objects from the early colony, art from significant Colonial artists and is drawn from national, state and regional public and private collections. Exhibition Themes: British historical/social context; journey to Colony; female factories - NSW, Queensland, Tasmania; life for convict women inside and outside the factory - pictures, personal items, things they used to wear, letters and diaries, etc. Including social structures, daily life and assignment; significance of the female factories. Through films, interactives and artefacts, "Women Transported" documents the women's pioneering work; their involvement in farming, producing export products and in forming our national character. Other info: Support Material includes Media kit, Tour Manual, Publications - catalogue DVD education kit and public programs relevant to all stages in the History and Culture and Society syllabus areas including Extension History. Woman transported: Life in Australia's convict Female Factories Gail Davis will be talking about life and conditions in the convict female factories. This talk is in conjunction with an exhibition. When and where? 11 September 9-12.00am at the Parramatta Heritage Centre, 346a Church St. Parramatta For more information: Contact: Katie Goldhammer (02) 8839 3324, (02)8839 3311