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Secrets of the Dead

Voyage of the Courtesans

Secrets of the Dead is part detective story, part true-life drama that unearths evidence from around the world, challenging prevailing ideas and throwing fresh light on unexplained events.

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Voyage of the Courtesans

Season 5 Episode 3 | 55m 18s

In 1789, more than 200 female thieves, prostitutes and con-artists were rounded up from London's prisons and shipped off to an Australian penal colony aboard the leaky vessel, Lady Juliana. But once aboard, the women turned banishment into opportunity, transforming their ship into a floating brothel on a journey that ended with the women as the founding mothers of Australia.

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