Port Arthur
Our last journey from Hobart was a drive
to the Historic Port Arthur Penal Colony. On the way, a stop at an un
co-operative blowhole, Eaglehawk, but the Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen were
quite stunning.
Our tour guide gave us our marching
orders including the what, when, and where we needed to be at the site. We were each
given a different playing card which represented a convict. You
could find out what happened to him by looking for your card on the displays. Rather an interesting display.
This colony was only for male convicts, the women were housed in
Hobart. A 9 year old was sent here for stealing 3 boxes of toy cars.
The youngsters were housed on a small island away from the men. Back
in the 1830's a small crime in the British isles could see you on a
voyage to Australia. Their hard labor created the colony and much of Australia's infrastructure, but the way that they were treated was inhuman. I don't think the Auzzie psychy is quite over this trauma.
We met a tour guide outside the Visitor's Centre who gave us a
general talk about what we could find on the grounds and some
history as well as the rain fell. A lot of the buildings are just standing shells. A couple of bush fires and general embarrassment about the convicts treatment had meant the buildings were long abandoned before there were thoughts of preservation of the history. A cruise
to take you out to the harbour around the Isle of the Dead, where over 1100 convicts and soldiers/guards lay buried, gave you a sense of what these people
saw when arriving. Convicts were taught to read and write and to work at one of the more than 30 trades the community consumed. For most, that was a better life than they would have had back in the UK, but punishment was harsh, 30 lashes for smoking in the blacksmith shop for example.
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| Isle of the Dead |
 |
| Commandant's garden |
Not a pretty piece of history. The
community even tried to erase the facts after the site closed down, by
demolishing buildings and changing the name of the place. Now it is a world heritage site , preserved for all time.
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| Port Arthur harbour view |
Our last journey from Hobart was a drive
to the Historic Port Arthur Penal Colony. On the way, a stop at an un
co-operative blowhole, Eaglehawk, but the Tasman Arch and Devils Kitchen were
quite stunning.
Our tour guide gave us our marching
orders including the what, when, and where we needed to be at the site. We were each
given a different playing card which represented a convict. You
could find out what happened to him by looking for your card on the displays. Rather an interesting display.
This colony was only for male convicts, the women were housed in
Hobart. A 9 year old was sent here for stealing 3 boxes of toy cars.
The youngsters were housed on a small island away from the men. Back
in the 1830's a small crime in the British isles could see you on a
voyage to Australia. Their hard labor created the colony and much of Australia's infrastructure, but the way that they were treated was inhuman. I don't think the Auzzie psychy is quite over this trauma.
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