The Dairy Cottage: Cavendish Court, By The River

Elizabeth Madison, aged 18, is wrongfully convicted of theft in London, and is transported to the colony of New South Wales, Australia. There, in 1815, she is conscripted to live and work as a servant at the dairy cottage, with the manager, Jack Brown, and his wife and children. She becomes fearful for her safety as Jack is a disreputable alcoholic with designs on making her a plaything of his own. When she meets Ned Wilson, a convict gardener at Old Government House, in the domain of which the dairy cottage is located, they develop a relationship which leads to their marriage in 1816. But following several tragic events, their love is short-lived. Over the next few years, life changes dramatically for Elizabeth living in the dairy cottage. Meeting with the new local doctor, Joseph Cavendish, gives a new meaning to her existence there. By 1820 she finds herself in a totally different situation… from convict girl to mistress of a mansion.