More Than a Convict Site
Trip Start
Sep 22, 2008
1
43
50
Trip End
Feb 01, 2009
Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia
Friday, January 9, 2009
Even though the fruit farm sells a variety of fruit, including nectarines, apricots, cherries and a heap of berry varieties, we were told that most had either been picked heavily or were not quite ready. But there's something about foraging for your own food, so we bought a $3.00 punnet each and began our search for something to have with our ice-cream that night! We left about an hour and a half later with our punnets full of mostly silvanberries (a cultured blackberry) and our fingers and mouths covered in red stains..
Berry picking at the Fruit Farm
.Eaglehawk neck is a very narrow tract of land linking Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas. A dog line of around 18 dogs was set up there to deter the convicts from escaping by land. The dogs were even placed on platforms out in the ocean so that their barking would notify those on duty of an ocean escape attempt.
Once again we've been blown away by the beauty of all the little bays and beaches in this area. We did our rounds of some of the geological phenomena, including Devils Kitchen (a collapsed sea cave), Tasmans Arch (a partially collapsed roof of a cave), The Blowhole and Tessellated Pavement.
To reach some of these landmarks, we drove through "Doo town". Nearly every house in the place has a "Doo" name - for example: "Sheil Doo"; "Xanadoo"; "It'll Doo" and "Thistle Doo". Even the fish and chip shop was called "Doolicious"!
Port Arthur historic site was within walking distance of the caravan park. The afternoon we arrived, we found ourselves wandering onto the site without paying an entrance fee! We could easily have covered a bit of ground that afternoon, but, with consciences pricked, we turned around and headed back to the park.
Probably having spent a good nine hours on site on Sunday, we realised why you need more than a day at Port Arthur. The entry fee is very reasonable and included access to all the buildings and ruins, as well as a guided tour and cruise around Isle of the Dead (the burial ground for all convicts and military) and Point Puer (the first boys' prison built in the British Empire)
Tesselated Pavement
.It was a fascinating place and one that we'll remember forever. Established in 1833 and closing in 1877, it was a penal station that accommodated the "worst of the worst" prisoners. Only those who re-offended in other places were sent here. Even the military saw a posting to Port Arthur as a demotion. Almost as soon as the station closed, tourists started arriving! Many buildings were either torn down or dismantled to build other dwellings and some of the land was sold off to private settlers. These locals were so ashamed of the place that they renamed the town Carnarvon. The Government slowly began to acquire the land as it realised the historic significance of the site, but the little town of Carnarvon Bay, situated in the next bay along, is testament to the name change.
With a good deal of emotion, we paid our respects to the 35 people who lost their lives to a gunman back in 1996. Keith and I clearly recall being out the front of our house washing the car in Ruse, when Ray Hadley delivered the first sketchy details over the radio. A peaceful memorial garden that incorporates the shell of the Broad Arrow Café gives visitors a place for reflection and calm contemplation.
