Hobart, Port Arthur and Across the Bass Strait

February 2, 2013, in port Hobart and anchored off Port Arthur, Tasmania Australia:  J and E Go To the Penal Station

Sunrise Over Storm Bay, Tasmania, Australia

The things you see on your morning walk -- providing you can open your eyes.

Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

We didn't see much of Hobart; onto the tour bus, which left immediately for Port Arthur.

 St. John's Church, Richmond, Tasmania

First Catholic Church in Tasmania.

(Counter clockwise):  Richmond Bridge, Gaol, Historic Building, Candy Factory

We were very fond of the candy factory.

Between Richmond and Port Arthur, a major wild fire had occured about two-weeks before our visit.  For approximately 30 miles along the roadside, the burned-out landscapes were visible, with some areas still smouldering.

Wild Fire Scenes Along Route A9 from Sorell to Eaglehawk Neck

Some areas were still smouldering, and almost all structures were burned to the ground.

We arrived at Port Arthur Historic Site at about 11:30am and went immediately to lunch.  Always, food first!  The Port Arthur Historic Site contains the physical remains of Australia's history as a British penal colony in the 18th and 19th Centuries.  Established in 1830 as the Port Arthur Penal Station, by the time it closed in 1877, the station contained 32 separate structures, including penitentiaries, staff quarters, and all elements of a town for more than 2,000 persons.

Port Arthur Historic Site, The Penitentiary (1857)

Abandoned and largely collapsed, this structure was the largest on the site.

The separate prison was an experiment in penal correction.  Through isolation, silence and contemplation, convicts were to be reformed.  A prisoner spent 23 hours a day in a solitary cell where he (there were no women) slept, ate, and worked.  He was given one-hour a day alone in an exercise yard.

Interior Views, Separate Prison (1847), Restored 2007

No exterior views; J forgot to take any.

The Separate Prison Chapel

The prisoner could only see the preacher, no inmates.  Maybe that was a reason to reform!

Port Arthur Historic Site

Clockwise from upper left:  The Asylum (1868), The Penitentiary (1846),  Guard Tower (1835), Entrance to The Penitentiary,  Soldiers' Memorial Avenue (1918).

Gravestones, The Isle of the Dead

Between 1833 and 1837, ~1,100 prisioners, military and civil officers, and their familes were buried on the island.  - People were just dying to get to this island!

Government Gardens, Port Arthur Historic Site

Just the spot for a quiet walk with memsahib and the little sahibs.

The Church, Port Arthur Historic Site

The church was built with prison labor, but the holies got to arguing who could do what and to whom; therefore, the church was never consecrated.

The Silver Whisper, The Jetty, and the Tender

Silver Whisper made its way to Carnarvon Bay and anchored to retrieve weary tourists from a day at the Port Arthur Penal Station.  Guess they weren't taking new inmates.

February 3, 2013 en route to Sydney, Australia:  Hobart to Sydney -- Crossing the Bass Strait

The entire day was spent at sea tracing (backwards) the route of the famous Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race.  Luckily, the weather and sea state were kind.  There were neither monstrous waves nor high winds.  Tomorrow morning:  The Heads, The Opera House and The Bridge of Sydney Harbor.