Tasmania trip 2009 - Port Arthur

Port Arthur Prison

It looks terrific doesn't it? One would think it is a castle or a chateau. Port Arthur is best preserved convict settlement in Australia. It was build 1830 for repeated offenders and hard criminals. There is no walls around the prison as it is surrounded with deep and very cold waters (not many convicts could swim in those days- so escaping via water was an impossibility). Some tried escaping by covering themselves with kangooroo skin and hopping like kangooroos to get away from soldiers, however it wasn't easy to escape with heavy chains and half starving soldiers kept a good guard at the neck of the peninsula.

Between 1830-1877 around 12,500 sentences were served by convicts at this prison. Despite the barbarity, a range of industries flourished here such as brick factory, boat yard, clothing factory, bakery etc. The goods were sold to the city of Hobart. The main building also had a library at the top floor with more than 15,000 books, as it was importand to educate these hard working convicts after a heavy day's of work. The climate here is very cold and wet as it is the most south point of the island.

The hospital was build above the dormitories - arched building on the back. The first doctor was a French prisoner himself.




The Psychiatric Hospital for the mentally disturbed.

The above retirement center was build and cared for older reformed prisoners who couldn't integrate back into the society after their release.The church for all persuits. It was thought that the religion would help the hardened criminals to repent and rehabilitate.

The living quarters of the privileged, ie., the civil staff.

The boat construction yard below, the yard had to be closed after a while as the boat builders in Hobart had trouble selling their boats.

The cemetery is located on the Isle of the Dead, the convict graves have no head stones or names on them (apart from 4 graves).