Today we started out at Port Arthur Historic Site. We got in before it was opened to the general public and had a 21/2 hour private tour as our driver/guide works there when he is not driving these tours.
This is the visitors map of Port Arthur. Port Arthur was a penal colony from 1930 when it was opened to be a work area for convicts. They started timber operations. In 1833 it became a punishment center for repeat offenders from all the Australian colonies.
Here is one of the models of how The barracks, senior officer’s quarters, lookout tower, and commander’s area looked when this was a working penal colony
This was some of the houses left that were part of the civilian homes
This is what was left of where the visiting dignitaries were housed
This is a room in the spectate prison. Inmates were separated when they first arrived.
They were not allowed to speak at all. When not in there cells (their one hour in the exercise area alone each day or in their individual church boxes) they were required to wear a hood with only eyehole in it. It was like solitary confinement. They had to eat, sleep, work, and us a chamber pot in their room. They were there 23 hours a day.
This is the area that was a prisoner community garden at the time this area was used to hold prisoners. Port Arthur only had make prisoners
This is one of the lookout areas watching the bay
A number of the building were destroyed after a large bush fires after the government closed the penal colony in 1877. It was not until 1916 it as declared a place of historical interest. Then in 1971 the government declared it a historic site. National parks service oversee it. This building was a nondenominational chapel. The government slowly bought back all the land, when they can up for sale, that had been sold when the colony was closed
This is a prisoner list
By 1840 there were over 2,000 convicts, soldiers, civilian staff, and non prisoner’s families living in the colony
This was the model of the solitary confinement area with the far left building being the Asylum
The prisoners built all the buildings in the colony as well as did the maintenance work. Some were even taught trades and careers for after they served their time.
They were a self sufficient community, with a hospital, police, sorties, balls and such for the none prisoners
Some of the prisoners were skilled when they came. The had shipwrights, architects, masons, and other trained prisoners. They even had a master bell maker as a prisoner
The building on the left is where prisoners were moved to after solitary confinement. They started on the bottom level in heavy manacles and chains as could work their ways up to the top level. Prisoners on the top level were educated, did not have chains and could earn rights to work among non prisoners. If they messed up it was either back to the bottom level or back to solitary confinement which usually lady 6-18 months.
This was the commanders house
They had water and irrigation for there growing areas and gardens
It was once a very pretty town. The main way into the area was by water as there were no real roads into the colony
Of the prisoners there, 110 escaped over the time the colony was in operation. All but 11 were recaptured or killed. The 11 no one know what happened to them, but these convicts were not bushmen, so the likely hood is they parishes. Boys as young as 9 years old were sent there as prisoners.
The area is a lovely setting for the colony, but for the prisoners it was a hard life for most of them.
Part of our tour include a 29 minute harbor tour
Babs and some of the gang, settled right in as I got a tea and muffin
In 1834, it was decided that the boys (9-17) should be separated from the adult male convicts as most were thieves and the authorities were worried they would learn worst behavior from the older convicts. The established the first juvenile reformatory in the bristling empire for young boys. It was on this island and called Point Puer Boys Prison.
The boys would sometimes sneak down he cliffs of the island and fish or cook stolen potatoes for more food
The other island in this bay was called Isle of the Dead.
It is where they buried those that died in the colonies. The lower area was unmarked graves for the convicts and the upper part of the right side was for the free colonist. They were had gravestones and markers
After a stop at the gift shop we were off back up the peninsula to continue our day
As we were working our way up area I looked out and the water had the yellow to green tints that were really strange
Lunch was Chinese buffet in a little shopping arcade
It was surprisingly good
We headed up the east coast of Tasmania
We had a stop at an unusual bridge
There are many rumors as to why this bridges was built this way, but all seem to be speculation
We stopped to look at the coastline and learn a little more about the whalers who came hunting whales in Australia
It was cold with an Antarctic wind and we were bundled up to take walks around this area. Though this picture does not show them, there were some kids playing in the waves. I hope their parents had towels and blankets for when they came out!
This was the view from the lookout facing the other direction from the beach
The wind was so fierce that we drank our tea and had our biscuits in the bus
So we headed up the road towards our hotel
We passed this building which is the first general store in Tasmania
Then we stop for a lookout at this place
This is the door to the lookout at a winery. It is made out of shipping containers
This is the area it overlooks
Here is a view from the top of the water and vineyards
The low mountain in the distance are on an island off the coast
So what should you do when you are cold?
Why go for ice cream of course!
We got settled into our rooms and the gang all got together for a group photo as we added a couple of new friends today
We bundled up again and went out for a twilight beach sit. We were trying to spot some little penguins coming i . We heard them around, but did not spit any
Until on the way back to our hotel room. It was really dark and our guide had a red light as that color does not upset them. So we saw a couple of groups as we headed back to our hotel. This is the only picture that turned out at all.
Tomorrow will bring more adventures, but we have been warned that there will be more driving involved.
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