Port Arthur Historic Site

       

After a 10 hour sleep...I was definitely tired... I cooked a huge breakfast and headed off to Port Arthur Historic Site.

      

I arrived right at opening to try and avoid some of the crowds...although I didn't miss the Asian bus tour that was getting organized right in front of the ticket booth!!  The grounds of Port Arthur were immaculately maintained...beautiful gardens, huge manicured grass areas, gorgeous views and the sound of birds chirping in the distance.  A far cry from the original purpose of this 100 acre prison years ago.

     

I started off with an introductory walking tour and then headed on a short boat tour to learn a bit of the history.  One interesting thing about this prison is that it was not walled in.  On one side was the water and the other had one exit that was "walled" in by 20+ dogs and guards...plus the harsh weather of the peninsula made it a deterrent to leave.

       

The prisoners at Port Arthur were from the bottom of the bottom of male convicts..."the incorrigibles".  Some of the things that people were there for were pretty light criminal acts compared to today's standards...especially with the brutal way they were treated.

      

                                   

A second building was erected to put those prisoners who were a continual disturbance.  The Separate Prison was walled in and there was no talking allowed unless permitted....isolation and contemplation was the name of the game here.  People were in solitude 23 hours a day and some were also put into a cell with no light if warranted...horrible treatment.

     

     

Eventually an asylum was built because more and more prisoners became "lunatics" from the harsh treatment. The asylum has been turned into a lovely museum and the prison itself has a lot of history very well displayed...one of the things I really enjoyed about this site.  They even created this beautiful wall mural to respectfully acknowledge some of the prisoners by name.

     

      

      

I spent a long time walking in the gardens...so beautiful.  I even came across a native Tasmanian bee that apparently doesn't sting or produce much honey!

                                     

      

By noon the clouds lifted and the sun came out, making for a beautiful afternoon...almost didn't want to leave.  By 2:30pm I headed on my way up North.  Along the way I made several stops to take in some of the beautiful scenery of the Tasmanian Peninsula...Devil's Kitchen, Tasmanian Arch, Tasmanian Blowhole and the Tessellated Pavement.

                                   

                     

       

Over the next 3 hours I passed through a number of towns, some wine regions, came across some unique mail boxes and beautiful views.  Some of the roads were narrow and full of twists and turns...thankfully I'm finally getting a handle on driving on the left hand side of the road.

      

      

I arrived at the Coles Bay Holiday Park where there's a YHA hostel on the property.  At first I thought it was a bit dodgy, but after a bit more looking around it turned out to be a great place to meet people and chat.  I even ran into the girl I dropped off at the bus terminal yesterday!!!!

     

Once again wifi has been a challenge...apparently the password is highly secretive...even after I tracked down the lady who works at reception at the local bar!

Heading to Wineglass Bay tomorrow for a hike and hopefully some spectacular views.

Until then...