The voyage to Tasmania aboard the Swift took 112 days, sailing past Europe, Africa, and across the Indian Ocean to what amounted to the world's largest prison. However, aboard ship, Meaghan and his allies received relatively decent treatment compared to common convicts. They passed the time reading, writing, and playing games.

The penal colony was a mix of free settlers and a large population of convicts, many of whom were assigned to hard labor under brutal conditions. The island's natural splendor, with its dramatic cliffs and lush landscapes was only a temporarily reprieve from the harshness of their new reality. The colony’s governor, William Denison, though initially resistant, was instructed by the British government to treat these political prisoners with a measure of leniency. They were offered tickets-of-leave, allowing them limited freedom within assigned districts in exchange for the promise not to escape. Meagher and most others accepted this arrangement; O'Brien, seeing it as dishonorable, refused and was sent to solitary confinement on Maria Island.

Meagher's life in Ross, a small and uninspiring town in his designated district, was marked by loneliness and a struggle to find purpose. He immersed himself in nature, taking long walks and engaging with the island's unique wildlife, but the isolation weighed heavily on him.