Thoughts on Location No 26
Port Arthur, Lower East Coast, Tasmania
Tracing the footsteps of our convict past at the Port Arthur Historic Site, I must say it was a little difficult being there. That one place can be the site of so much sadness, is enough to make you stop and think. It certainly made me stop and think.
Standing in front of the ruins of the penitentiary, where convicts were once housed in tiny cells barely wider than a bed, it was hard to imagine what life was like for the 160 (and more) years ago. Let’s not forget that ‘the colonies’ was an answer to a population problem and it was not uncommon to be ‘banished’ to New South Wales for stealing a loaf of bread.
Most of the convicts who found themselves at Port Arthur were men who had committed crimes after they had arrived in the colonies; some of these crimes were serious, but the greater majority were not, merely stealing or trying to escape. There were vicious criminals among them, but they were the minority.
There was a separate prison at Port Arthur and even a prison for boys across the bay. At the ripe old age of nine, you were considered an adult, answerable for your crimes and potentially, you could be shipped off to the other side of the world.
Anyway, this is not a history lesson.
We spend several hours at the Port Arthur Historic Site and then also went to the Coal Mines Historic Site, where coal was mined to support the settlement at Port Arthur and a 30 minutes drive away on the other side of the Tasman peninsular.
The solitary punishment cells were hard to look at. Small and dingy, set beneath a hill, with no light and very little air. It must have been an extremely miserable existence for any convict locked behind one of the doors.
In the gallery below, you’ll see, amid the sadness, I found a few items of beauty.
We stayed four nights at the Big4 Port Arthur Holiday Park and I cannot say enough nice things about it. From the friendly owners to the large generous, drive-through sites nestled within a woodland forest, to the on-site fire pits and barbecues and camp kitchen.
Each evening we were visited by potoroos and wallabies, each day by birds, all of them comfortable being around humans, very friendly and looking for a bit of food.
This little Superb Fairywren and his harem of girls would flit in and out, darting all over the place and I’m surprised he stayed still long enough for me to click the camera in his direction.
The park is only a 20-minute walk from the Port Arthur Historic Site, but we drove the car around the corner.
After more than five hours of walking around the site, exploring 40 acres of buildings and centuries of history, we were glad we did bring the car.
We said goodbye to Port Arthur yesterday and are now in Hobart.
CLARE'S COSMOS 
(Sorry Clare, which heading on your Photography page do I click on?)
I’m… not precisely ‘looking forward’ to visiting, but do want to go. Not only because everyone says it’s so worthwhile, but because it’s an interesting part of Australian, particularly Tasmanian, history. Not sure about doing a night tour (which I also hear are great) – could be spooky, and it’s a long drive back to Hobart once it finishes (which is where we’ll be staying). 🙂
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Oops … Sorry Dayna, the link is up now.
As you said, as sad as it was to see the living conditions (what’s left of them anyway), I’m glad I did, but only because of the sites significance in our history.
We didn’t do a tour, not even the free one included in the admission. We just guided ourselves around and that was enough for me to handle.
Clare
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I get teary at the drop of a hat. But we’ll see how it goes. Stephen’s almost as good as a talking guidebook for most places we visit, so maybe we’ll just do our own thing, too. 🙂
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I avoid places like Port Arthur, the past miseries seem to permeate my whole body but I appreciate they are worth saving even if to remind us how lucky we are to be living in this era.
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I agree Sue,
Some of the things I’ve seen (forced myself to see) have made me sad. This was another one of them.
We certainly are so lucky.
Clare
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