The British settled NSW in 1788. The main reason for this was jails becoming overcrowded in England and Australia being a place to send criminals. There were also other smaller factors which included using Australia as a naval base. One other benefit was that Australia was a great spot for trading with nearby countries.
The reason why the British had so many convicts was because of the state of London. People were coming from all around the country to look for jobs in London and when they failed to get a job they resorted to theft. The upper class called on the government to put a stop…