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Published: March 12th 2015
Tasselated Pavement
Interesting patterns in the reef below.Port Arthur was our destination for today; we have made a reservation for the night at the Port Arthur Motor Inn. A reasonably early start was made and our first stop was at Eaglehawk Neck. This is where the highway narrows down to just a thin stretch of land with the ocean on both sides. It forms a natural gateway to the peninsula that was used in the 1830s, when a line of dogs was chained to posts across the neck to warn of any convicts attempting to escape Port Arthur.
We took a short detour and visited the Tesselated Pavement, a piece of reef on the Pirates Bay side. This reef has evenly spaced cracks along it making it look as if it was built with squares and rectangles. From what the signs stated this was caused by erosion when the reef was formed. A spectacular sight of the cliffs along here was viewed from the nearby lookout.
On the other side of the Neck we passed through the village of Doo Town, an area with holiday shacks and camp areas. Most of the homes here have a name plate that
Tasman Arch
A little further along, after passing through the delightfully named, Doo Town. includes the name Doo. eg. Doo Me, Doo Little. Nearby we saw the rock formations Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen, before continuing on to Port Arthur.
Port Arthur was established in 1830 as a timber-getting camp using convict labour and in 1833 was used as a punishment camp for repeat offenders from all the Australian colonies.
The discipline here was extremely harsh with many men left completely broken, they becoming the inmates of the lunatic asylum built in later years, as well as rehabilitating and educating many others.
After checking into the hotel we entered the historical area and firstly joined a group where a guide told the history of the town, before boarding a boat and being taken on a cruise of the harbour. In the tours we were given more information on how the convicts were treated, what they built and achieved, as well as seeing the Isle of the Dead, where around 1100 people were buried between 1833 and 1877. As just over 7000 people came to Port Arthur in that time it showed how harsh conditions were at that time. Some of the stories were quite funny, including one about a convict who
Rugged coastline
This was a view of the coastline on the eastern side. when he reached The Neck, took his time before attempting to cross. This he did by slaying a kangaroo, carefully skinning it and then pretending to be a kangaroo jumping across The Neck at dusk. His charade was so good that he would have got away with it but soldiers, keen to supplement their small rations, decided to shoot the kangaroo. What a shock to discover it was a man!
We then spent some time exploring some of the ruins and restored buildings there, especially one of the dominant ruins, the Penitentiary. This was built to be a flour mill, the commandant at the time thinking this would help the inmates’ work skills and make the area self-sufficient. Unfortunately wheat could not be grown in the area as it was too cool and the water supply driving the mill was too little. Eventually it was converted into a 4 storey penitentiary with the 2 lower floors for the worst criminals, the top floor for 480 better behaved convicts. It even housed a library of 12,000 books - fuel for the mind they said!
The Commandant’s house nearby was unusual in that it was expanded by every commandant that
Port Arthur
Our first view of the church as we entered from our motel. lived there, this was obvious by the different styles and floor levels inside. Even so, its position overlooking the bay would have made it a desirable place to live.
We also had a quick look at some of the other restored houses such as the doctor’s, the accountant’s and some officer housing. Some of these had furniture and interpretations which made them more interesting.
These contrasted strongly with the Separate Prison, designed to deliver a new method of punishment, isolation and contemplation. Convicts were locked in isolation for 23 hours/day, and 1 hour of exercise, alone in a yard. No contact or talking with others was allowed. On Sundays they had to go to church, masked to get there, and were then put in a separate cubicle in the church.
Leg weary we returned to the hotel in time to put our legs up for an hour before dinner. We ordered the seafood platter which consisted of prawns, scallops, fish, calamari, oysters, salmon pate and chips. We finished with their home made sticky date pudding. Yum!
We left the hotel at 1830 so we were in plenty of time for the 2100 Ghost Tour, where a
Port Arthur
Convict cell. guide told us more about how the convicts were treated, and how many believe ghosts abound there. It wasn’t very spooky but we had a lot of laughs and it was a different way to end the day.
Wednesday 11th March 2015 As we spent the night at the motel attached to the grounds we were amongst the first to enter. We spent the next hour or so looking at buildings and exhibits we'd missed the previous day and before the hordes of tourists began to arrive.
The grounds themselves are very picturesque, they are a close replica of how they were. These were originally made to make the soldiers and free migrants feel at home even though they were so far away. Many of the plants were of English origin and the Government Gardens, where the ladies of the town met, was set around a fountain in the middle, with the church set on the side of the hill overlooking it.
Before leaving we made our way to the memorial area where in 1996 a crazed gunman killed 35 innocent people and wounded over 40 others. We both remembered
Richmond
The oldest bridge in Australia. this terrible incident and talked about how we would feel and how we would deal with it if we had actually been there. This was a very sad time and hard to imagine now.
We continued on around the island, stopping at the little town of Nubeena, where we assume many of the employees at the Port lived, for lunch. As there was little to see here we continued on, deciding to make a short detour on the way to the town of Richmond.
Richmond is a cute little town, with its elegant buildings and historic bridge. This is said to be the oldest bridge in Australia. It was built by convicts and opened in 1823. We wandered around the many antique, wood craft, gifts and fashion shops here before continuing on our way back to Margate.
Both of us are feeling a little tired from all the sightseeing we have been doing, so tomorrow we intend having a quiet day. Judy pre-empted being “at home” by wandering around the garden with snippers in hand, pruning the rose bushes and other plants. The bin was filled for Friday’s collection.
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Mum
non-member comment
Tasmania
Thoroughly enjoyed reading your blogs about Tasmania,such lovely country !!! And you certainly had your fill of history at Port Arthur !! I was surprised you never mentioned the the people who died there at the hands of Martin Bryant. Was there no Memorial Plaque there for them ? Your lucky to be out of Perth today !! A Cyclone is coming down the coast from the North and it has just started to bring a little bit of light rain to Perth. The humidity is very high and making conditions very uncomfortable. Storms and rain are forecast for today and tomorrow. With it is coming cooler weather !! Hooray. Looking forward to your next blog. love Mum xx