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The theme of this year's International Documentary Series global

perspective is escape.

And today it's seen from an Australian perspective.

From the late 18th century for over 50 years, Australia was a penal colony,

a land where dense bush, mountains and sea were a greater barrier to escape

for the transported convicts than any prison walls.

But there were those who showed startling determination in their bid to gain their freedom,

and their resourcefulness and resilience make Australians proud today to boast

of their own inherited convict streak.

With ex-prisoner Bernie Matthews and Brad Manera, curator of convict and

military history at Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney,

here's Ross Bluett's documentary made for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

the convict streak.

Today the convict streak has been attributed to some of Australia's more recent

and notorious prison escapes.

And in today's programme we'll hear a clandestine recording of one.

We'll also hear stories of escape from the early days of New South Wales

and some of the impediments.

Leghines were used to stop uscapers to teach cereal abscond as the error of their ways

...