Ten full years had passed since Arthur and his men had first set foot at Arthur's Cove and established the settlement of Port Arthur - a significant milestone and important achievement to be celebrated by all. Festivities began on the newly proclaimed holiday of Settlement Day. A re-enactment of the first landing at Arthur's Cove was played out, with tents set up on the shore - just as it had been all those years ago. Following the ceremony, the area was proclaimed a public park - Settlement Park - the first of such in New Southland for all to enjoy.

New Southland had come a long way since then, however expansion had been limited to the Western portion of the island, mainly along the coast with a few small inland villages. Whaling and sealing camps had been established further to the East, however not much was known of the land beyond. Crude maps existed of the island, drawn up by fishermen on their search for new fishing grounds, and a French naval expedition a few years earlier, however a more detailed map was required. The government of New Southland put forward a proposal offering extensive land grants to explorers who returned to Port Arthur with detailed maps of the island. With the ever-growing livestock herds in existing pastures, many graziers were keen to take up the offer to expand their operations. Ships departed the Port Arthur docks, heading North-West and South-West to map the island's coastline. Meanwhile, several parties trekked inland, following the ridgelines of the Western Highlands, using the vantage points to map the inland regions.

As more and more detailed maps were delivered to the LRO, land grants were offered to the explorers, and the populations of the major towns began to fall. Once well-maintained houses became run-down and abandoned, and local businesses, especially at the docks, were finding it more and more difficult to attract workers. New Southland was growing faster than it could handle - what it needed was a significant boost to its population to sustain its rapid growth. Until now, only French citizens had been offered land grants upon arrival, limiting the appeal for immigration from other nations. The government of New Southland knew that the policy of offering land grants would ultimately become unsustainable as productive land became more scarce - a new model would be required. Perhaps an old acquaintance could assist...

Over in the British colony of New South Wales, the convict population was rapidly growing and vastly outnumbered the free settler population. The British policy of Transportation, and the closure of the North American colonies, meant that a significant number of convicts were now being transported to Sydney Cove. It seemed the British had a problem with oversupply of an unwanted population, and New Southland the exact opposite - perhaps a deal could be reached which would benefit both parties. Now on friendly terms following their earlier altercation, La Perouse had been keeping in regular contact with Lieutenant Johnston over in New South Wales. With the approval of the New Southland government, a letter was penned offering the British an alternative convict transportation option. The deal would benefit many parties - businesses in New Southland would have access to a much larger workforce, the British transportation ships, once emptied, could be laden with goods to trade for profit in European markets, particularly highly demanded whale oil and seal furs, even the convicts would benefit by being granted citizenship upon arrival. Lastly, one of Arthur's more hidden agendas, the demographics of New Southland would begin to shift from a majority French presence to a more diverse base - one which he hoped could be more easily controlled by the government.

Less than a year later, the first of many convict transportation ships arrived at the Port Arthur docks. The convicts (mostly men) were granted citizenship upon arrival, and low-interest government loans to purchase cheap run-down properties in the towns. Jobs were plenty and following several years of decline, the towns of Port Arthur, La Perouse and Port Gilbert finally returned to growth.

With the surplus labour, several long-awaited large-scale government projects were commenced - including construction of the Great Southern Road providing an overland link between Port Arthur, La Perouse and Port Gilbert for the first time; new stone churches in the three major towns; and a new government quarry in the steep valleys just to the North of Port Gilbert.