Port Arthur

Travelling to Port Arthur

With my bodyclock still on New Zealand time the 0730 report for the Port Arthur bus, operated by Pennicott Wilderness, was a breeze.  Despite staying close to the office and parked buses, some how I missed the driver’s call to board.  It was a bit embarrassing boarding a bus with everyone waiting for me.

The ride to Port Arthur took about 1h45 mins with a couple of stops.  This is Australia’s most significant reminder of its convict past.

The first was at Dunalley which had a canal cut into the narrow neck (like an isthmus) to save on shipping distance.

The second was at a viewpoint just before Eaglehawk Neck, where we had a stunning view of Pirates Bay, and the hiking area that some of the passengers were headed to.

Eaglehawk Neck is another narrow neck that served as a natural barrier to convicts escaping from Port Arthur.  There was no other way of escape by land due to the shape of the landmass.  At Eaglehawk Neck, a chained line of dogs stood guard against any escapees.

Visiting the Historic Site

I had purchased my bus tour inclusive of the entry into the historic area as it was a little cheaper this way.  I collected my tickets and was advised that my included introductory tour would be at 1030 and my short boat cruise at 1220.

I took a wander of the historic area by myself to kill the 45 mins that I had till the guided tour.  The tour started off as a big group with two guides, but split into two groups.

My half of the crowd, guided by Tammy was highly informative and she made the experience very real with stories of people who had spent their lives here.  Her tour lasted a fair bit longer than the other one and she clearly loved her job, despite doing it day-in, day-out.

I learnt a few things on the 50 min tour:

• The age of responsibility back in England for crime was 7 years old.  Children were sent to Australia for their crime.
• “Transportation” or forced migration was the punishment for crimes which may be quite petty like stealing bread.
• Those who were sent to Australia largely lived as free people and places like Port Arthur were for those who had committed crimes during their new lives in Australia.
• Criminals at Port Arthur were subject to hard labour, some with chains and balls around their ankles.
• Later on, separate cells were introduced to allow convicts to ponder their lives instead of just pure physical punishment.  Dark isolation cells were also introduced as a form of mental punishment though.
• The site also had reasonably nice accommodation for the commandant, officers, clergy and various professionals that ran the place.

Specifically for Port Arthur, its timeline was as follows:

• Started as a timber camp using convict labour in 1830.
• Took in repeat offenders in 1833.
• By 1840 had grown to about 2000 inmates.
• In 1853, transportation of new convicts from England ceased.  The place was wound down, with only aged inmates and mental patients remaining.
• It finally closed in 1877, forty-seven years after opening.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate during the walking tour.  It was cold (around 10degC), windy and drizzly.  I wondered how I was going to survive 7h at the historic site.

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After the tour, I continued my private wanders to the Asylum which joined on to the separate cells.  An unusual feature of those cells is the chapel where prisoners sat in private booths on Sunday.

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The boat cruise was only 20 mins and we caught glimpses of the site of juvenile home for boys, plus the cemetery island.

Back on dry land, it was after 1300 and I grabbed lunch at the café.  Combined with the fruit, nut bar and chocolate shake that I had brought a long for the day, the café baguette proved a little bit too much.

I explored for another hour after lunch, repeating some places then taking in the church and some of the residential villas.  At around 1430, I thought I had seen enough and returned to the visitor centre to stay warm and dry.  I killed time deleting and editing photos.

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Time went reasonably quickly until I boarded the bus at 1630 to return to Hobart.  We left at 1645 and arrived just after 1800.  I did see another company that offered a pricier trip with an earlier return time.  I think their timing would have suited me better as I did end up with a couple of hours spare here.

I didn’t want to come out again for dinner and ate at the Vietnamese restaurant again, before I was actually hungry.

It had been a very interesting day and I learnt a fair bit about Australia’s convict history.