Port Arthur was one of my favorite places we visited while in Tasmania. In 1830 the Port Arthur penal station was established as a camp for convicts to produce sawn logs. It later grew in to a punishment station for repeat offenders from all the Australian colonies. Eventually, it became a major industrial settlement with military and free men and their families living in the community, as well.
This is the Penitentiary, which is the largest building at the settlement.
Bushfires destroyed many of the buildings after the convict settlement was closed in 1877. The Penitentiary no longer has a roof and a lot of other damage due to these bushfires.
The Guard Tower
I thought the eeriest building was the Separate Prison. Here, the convicts were reformed through isolation. They were locked in single cells for 23 hours a day and never uttered a word unless they were spoken to by a guard.
This is one of the cells in the Separate Prison. The prisoners had to work all day, making things like brooms.
Even in the chapel, the prisoners were kept apart in these closet-like barriers. They had to stand up throughout the entire service.
Even in the chapel, the prisoners were kept apart in these closet-like barriers. They had to stand up throughout the entire service.
Charlotte in one of the chapel spots.
This is the Church in which people were required to attend services each Sunday.
Port Arthur is a beautiful place, but its history is full of horrible events. In 1996 a gunman killed 35 people and wounded 19 others. Their names are on the cross below. For me, this was one of the most disturbing things I saw at the settlement.
A Memorial Garden was created as a place of remembrance for those who died that day. The building in the background of this picture is the shell of the Broad Arrow Cafe, which is where 20 people were killed.
A ferry ride away from the mainland is a small island called the Isle of the Dead. Members of the military, their wives and children, and convicts were buried here between 1833 and 1877. We didn't get to go to the island, but you can see a glimpse of it here. Beyond the island is a place called Pointe Puer Boys' Prison. Most of the boys were between 14 and 17 years old, but there was at least one as young as 9.
After spending the afternoon in Port Arthur, we drove to Hobart for our second night. Those pics will be added soon!
Port Arthur is a beautiful place, but its history is full of horrible events. In 1996 a gunman killed 35 people and wounded 19 others. Their names are on the cross below. For me, this was one of the most disturbing things I saw at the settlement.
A Memorial Garden was created as a place of remembrance for those who died that day. The building in the background of this picture is the shell of the Broad Arrow Cafe, which is where 20 people were killed.
A ferry ride away from the mainland is a small island called the Isle of the Dead. Members of the military, their wives and children, and convicts were buried here between 1833 and 1877. We didn't get to go to the island, but you can see a glimpse of it here. Beyond the island is a place called Pointe Puer Boys' Prison. Most of the boys were between 14 and 17 years old, but there was at least one as young as 9.
After spending the afternoon in Port Arthur, we drove to Hobart for our second night. Those pics will be added soon!
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