Port Arthur: A World-Class Monument to Humanity’s Cruelty

The huge popularity of the Port Arthur Historic Site, the former penal settlement in Tasmania, is due to our dark side ... and we all have one. We’re drawn to the horror stories about the hardened men and boys who were incarcerated here. It is also a key part of Australia’s unique history as a convict colony.

As my dearest and I entered, our first impression was of Port Arthur’s vast size. After its founding in 1833 it grew into a major penal and industrial centre with over 200 buildings and many trades before it was closed in 1877. Today about 30 buildings in various states of rehabilitation sprawl over a large site, which was magnificent, even in the light rain we encountered.

We started with a short cruise. The guide noted that Port Arthur had been completely serviced via the sea. We circled the Island of the Dead where free people were buried with gravestones on the high land and convicts in unmarked graves on the low ground. Back on land we wandered in intermittent rain through the sandstone ruins of the penitentiary, the hospital (all operations were conducted without anaesthetic), the guard tower, servants’ quarters and the restored Commandant’s house, whose palatial elegance contrasted with the miserable conditions of the prisoners. We wandered through the flagellation area to the Separate Prison, probably the saddest display, where the convicts were kept in solitary confinement and silence. They had to wear hoods and slippers for the one hour a day they were allowed out of their cells. As we were leaving, a group of young students set up an enormous wailing as they were "locked"in to the prison by their teachers. Next we wandered through the pleasant cottages of the free people like the chaplain and doctor to the ruins of the church.

As we left we wondered why people are so intrigued by this penal colony. Because it’s Australia’s heritage? Because we could so easily cross the line and find ourselves in a place like this? Because we are naturally drawn to horror stories? Whatever, it’s a fabulous place.

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For information: DiscoverTasmania.com & www.portarthur.org.au

& www.stewartsbaylodge.com.au

East Coast of Tasmania is Stunning, Even in Inclement Weather

We arrived in Freycinet National Park – a cluster of hills surrounded by stunning bays and beaches – on Tasmania’s east coast, together with rainy weather. After checking into Freycinet Lodge we drove to the Cape Tourville Lighthouse, passing through eucalyptus forests with tea trees covered in delicate white blossoms. The stark white lighthouse is perched high above reddish granite cliffs that fall down to the sea. The steep terrain and nearby rocky islands were softened by mist and dark clouds.
Next morning my dearest and I set out for Wineglass Bay in spite of rain and winds predicted to reach gale force. We hiked through a pinkish granite landscape enveloped in blowing mist and cloud. Within minutes we were soaked, but it was a warm rain. We passed enormous falls of rounded granite boulders some as big as houses and some balancing on each other in a worrisome manner. The smell of eucalyptus was all around and a few tree trunks were embroidered with delicate insect tracks like calligraphy.
We reached the pass, and far below, Wineglass Bay, the most beautiful beach in the world, was barely visible in the cloud. The bay looks like a wine glass and in the 1800s when the bay was a whaling station it often seemed full of red wine from the blood of the slaughtered whales. We slogged downward to the bay. It was exquisite with perfect white sand and turquoise water. The wind was blowing hard with large waves crashing and swirling.
We didn’t linger and started the uphill climb, drenched and bedraggled. A friendly kookaburra posed on a branch. We reached the pass and soon were back at the carpark. A small ‘roo sat in the rain beside our car.
That evening, the rain having relented, we sat on our deck with a bottle of wine and watched the moon come out. Surprise, a possum joined us. She climbed onto my leg and gently bit my finger. Finding it inedible, she then nipped my dearest’s toe. Bewildered by this strange country, we called it a night.

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For information: DiscoverTasmania.com & www.puretasmania.com.au

Launceston and Tasmania’s North

We drove into Launceston, Tasmania’s second largest city (about 100,000), the capital of the north and the gateway to the Tamar Valley wine region. Founded in 1806 the city is full of gracious Victorian homes decorated with the distinctive Australian wrought iron. Our Peppers Seaport Hotel is superbly located on the river front with a tall ship, a fishing boat and a host of pleasure boats moored under our balcony. In the morning we ambled off to Cascade Gorge, a 16-ha wilderness park in the heart of the city with dramatic cliffs and rushing waters .
The Tamar Valley beckoned so my dearest and I drove northwest. Vineyards, most of them covered in netting, tumble down the valley sides. We passed Legana and Exeter and pulled in to Beaconsfield, a pretty little town where gold mining started in 1881 and continues today. A tall mine shaft towers over lovely rose gardens, a museum, a coal miner’s cottage, a school house and other historic items.
Next we stopped at Beauty Point where Sunday fishermen were lined up on a large wharf that also contains Platypus House and Seahorse World. In the bay, sailboats were heeled over in the stiff breeze, their sails aglow in the sun. We motored on, enveloped in the soporific afternoon heat, to the Narawntapu National Park. For 20 km we rattled and bounced along a corrugated dirt road with a long plume of dust trailing behind. Once there, we wandered through bushy sand dunes, spotted a little wallaby, and stepped onto a long glorious beach with nary a person on it. After a refreshing dip into the waves we returned to Launceston. For dinner we wolfed down a pail of giant prawns, fish and chips and several bottles of Boags, reputed to be the best beer in Australia. We couldn’t argue.

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For information: DiscoverTasmania.com

& www.winetasmania.com.au/the-wine-route/tamar-valley-wine-route

& www.peppers.com.au/Seaport

Touring Tasmania’s Convict Past

The plane banked downward and we landed in Tasmania. We admired the sea, the rolling hills and Georgian architecture that have made Hobart one of the most photogenic cities in the world. The population is much smaller (about 200,000) and the pace more relaxed than in Sydney. Settled in 1804 on the banks of the Derwent River where it joins the ocean, Hobart has a rich history based on convicts and sailors. After settling in at Wrest Point, Australia’s first casino, we drove to Battery Point, an historic area of narrow streets and terraced cottages with lovely wrought-iron filigree. We stumbled onto the Shipwright’s Arms, an old pub with stained glass windows and many a story to tell of ancient mariners.
Next morning (Saturday) we jostled through a crowd of several thousand at the sun-dappled Salamanca Market, where handicrafts, food, coffee and artisans’ stalls stretched for over a kilometre beside historic warehouses. On the other side fishing and sail boats bobbed in the harbour.
Then we motored northward into a glaring, hot sun nervously keeping to the left on the fast (110 kph) two-lane-only main highway through a landscape of rolling dry hills covered with sparse pale-yellow grass and dotted with gum trees in drab olive colours. We pulled into the historic town of Ross, a charming place and a living memory of the convict days. The sandstone bridge, which is beautifully decorated with 186 carved figures was built by two convict stonemasons and a convict workgang. The two stonemasons were freed on completing the bridge in 1836. Bucolic elm-lined avenues lead past convict-constructed sandstone buildings. The main intersection has four unique old buildings tagged Temptation (Man O’Ross Hotel), Salvation (Catholic church), Recreation (Town Hall) and Damnation (former jail). A hiking path leads along an old stone wall to a lonely rise where tombstones from the mid 1800s stand out against the dry hills. We passed the Ross Female Factory, the sad site of a jail for convict women, then a solid sandstone church and a few fat sheep and we’re back at the car.

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For information: DiscoverTasmania.com & www.hobartcity.com.au

& www.wrestpoint.com.au