The following is a list of Australian penal colonies that existed from the establishment of European presence in the 1780s up until the nineteenth century. The term colony had referred to settlements and larger land areas at that time.
| Settlement | Colony | Year opened | Year closed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1839 | 1869 | |||
| New South Wales | 1788 | |||
| New South Wales | 1788 | 1840 | ||
| Queensland (New South Wales before 1859) | 1824 | |||
| Queensland | 1823 | 1824 | ||
| Van Diemen's Land | 1825 | 1851 | ||
| Van Diemen's Land | 1830 | |||
| Van Diemen's Land | 1830 | |||
| Van Diemen's Land | 1794 | |||
| Van Diemen's Land | 1822 | 1833 | ||
| Van Diemen's Land | 1879 | 1970 | ||
| Van Diemen's Land | 1914 | |||
| 1826 | 1832 | |||
| 1850 | 1868 | |||
| Other | 1788 | 1855 |