Traditionally, histories of the British presence in Australia have focused on convict transportation. Upon the discovery of gold in Australia in 1852, however, the British colonial project shifted its emphasis from penal transportation to domestic emigration. This thesis argues that proponents of domestic emigration adopted the rehabilitative mantra of the penal colonies, promising impoverished prospective emigrants the chance not only to make their fortunes but also to transform themselves into more successful domestic subjects. Instead of supporting emigration as a solution to domestic threats such as prostitution, wife abandonment, and financial insolvency, the novels of Charles Dickens and Mary Elizabeth Braddon expose the system's flaws and undercut the rhetoric of rehabilitation. By critiquing England's answer to domestic threats, Dickens and Braddon ultimately provide commentary not only on imperial activity in Australia but also on the purpose behind the emigration process.