Approximately 162,000 to 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia between 1788 and 1868. These convicts came from Great Britain, Ireland, and other parts of the British Empire, and were sent to various penal colonies across Australia including New South Wales, Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. The transportation involved around 806 to 825 ships over the course of 80 years, and it was a key part of the British penal system during that period.