The Tasman Peninsula

This was our view from the Lanai in back of our house in Port Arthur. You can just see the small herd of 11 sheep that the owners have grazing on the property, and which occasionally worked its way right up to the fence below our window.

Our week in Port Arthur passed too quickly. The Tasman peninsula is an especially rugged and pretty area - located about an hour southeast of Hobart. It was the location of one of the most infamous of the penal colonies established by the British during the days when "transportation" was the preferred method of dealing with criminals. People were transported for offenses ranging from petty larceny to treason - the Irish were particularly favored after risings against English rule in 1798 and 1845, although they continued until the "system" was discontinued around 1858. The reason it was discontinued was due to the discovery of gold in the colony in 1852 - miners returning from the California gold rush noticed the resemblance between California and parts of Victoria and New South Wales, went looking, and struck it rich. Once it became apparent that people were actively hoping to be transported to Australia in order to go prospecting the whole point of the system just sort of imploded. People were transported for periods ranging from 7 years to life, but all sentences were essentially life sentences due to the fact that there was no provision for returning paroled convicts to England.

Most of the early history of all of Australia's major cities (and states) is the story of the British Penal System - that's how the whole country got it's start - as a dumping ground for English convicts. It's an interesting, and sad, history. Anyway, the Port Arthur prison was just up the street from our house.




The scenery on our walks continued to be terrific. The photo above is of "Remarkable Cave" a local landmark on the coastline.

Below is a better view of what the seacoast of the Tasman Peninsula looks like from another of our hikes. Lots of sandstone and basalt cliffs that have been eroded by the surf over the past several thousand years - made for some spectacular views.


I'm standing at the site of the boys prison at Point Puer - across from the main complex at Port Arthur - and am looking at the "Isle of the Dead" , or the burial ground for the prison. Conditions were so bad here that prisoners were known to either commit suicide by jumping off the cliffs, or to draw lots to see which prisoner on a chain gang would be murdered by the others, knowing that the perpetrators would be hung and all of them, therefore, would be free of the brutality of the system.



On a lighter note, this is Crescent Bay - one of our discoveries on an afternoon walk. Came here twice in fact to spend the day, have lunch, and generally enjoy the place. Had it all to ourselves both times - never saw another human being the whole time.


Two more looks at Crescent Bay. Rita is relaxing at our lunch spot overlooking the beach.




On the drive from Port Arthur to Freycinet National Park we stopped off in the delightful little town of Richmond. Originally established as a stage coach stop between Hobart & Port Arthur it developed into its own convict precinct - the chief attractions in the town are the old jail (or gaol, as they spell it here) and the old bridge that was built by convict labor back in 1823. It was a nice stopover on a pleasant day.


This is St. John's Catholic Church. Built in 1835 it's the oldest Catholic Church in Australia

And below is the Richmond Bridge.


This is the "Triangle" in the assembly yard of the old gaol. The prisoner would be lashed hand & foot to the arms of the triangle (spreadeagled basically) then had anywhere from 12 to 100 lashes laid on with a cat-o-nine tails. If the prisoner fainted he was revived with a bucket of salt water so the punishment could be continued. Women weren't flogged in Tasmania, although they were in some of the other (mainland) penal colonies.

Bye the way, the reason the Brits started transporting their prisoners to Australia in the first place is because their original dumping ground became unavailable after the American Revolution succeeded in 1783. Up to that time transportation to the American colonies was a common practice - Benjamin Franklin chided the King about it when he was colonial minister to Great Britain before the war broke out in 1775.

We've just arrived in Bicheno on the East Coast of Tasmania, and close to Freycinet National Park - another spectacular area here in this beautiful State. We'll be here for a week before heading to Launceston for a few days.