In March 1828, he escaped from the notorious Sarah Island prison with fellow convict Thomas Connolly, and the two were the first white men to pass through the Lake St Clair region.
He was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude and, after several months on prison hulk Bellarophon in Woolwich, he sailed on the Lord Hungerford for Hobart.
While a prisoner, he worked for Thomas Scott, assistant to Surveyor General, George Frankland and gained valuable knowledge about the Tasmanian interior.
The men took advantage of a job that didn't require them to return to Sarah Island at night and which provided them with rations in bulk which they could store for later.
Goodwin's freedom was short-lived—he was caught stealing in 1835 and was sent by personal order of Lieutenant Governor George Arthur to Norfolk Island.