Thursday 25 May 2023

Port Arthur repost

Port Arthur, Tasmania. Australia.

This post is a repost of Port Arthur.  A few of my blogger friends may have seen it back in 2015.

The biggest tragedy happened at Port Arthur on April 28, 1996 when Martin Bryant killed 35 people and wounded twenty five more before being captured.  He is now imprisoned and is serving thirty five life sentences plus 1,035 years without parole in the psychiatric wing of Risdon Prison in Hobart. Tasmania.
This shooting spree banned all guns in Australia, except on farms/pistol, guns clubs etc and of course a license is required.

Lots of history, comings and goings at Port Arthur down the southern part of the State of Tasmania.
Once we could go there and have a picnic on the lawns for free.  Many a person brought a trailer and collected the fallen bricks, until one day it was decided to make the site into a tourist venture.

Port Arthur is a small town and former convict settlement from 1833 to 1853, and is on the Tasman Peninsular, in Tasmania, Australia.  Port Arthur is one of Australia’s most significant heritage areas and an open-air museum. Port Arthur was much more than a prison,  It was a complete community – home to military personnel and free settlers.  The convicts worked at farming and industries, producing a large range of resources and materials. The Port Arthur Historic Site contains more than 30 historic buildings, extensive ruins and beautiful grounds and gardens.


The Penitentiary two lower floors contained 136 cells for 'prisoners of bad character'.  The top floor provided space for 480 better behaved convicts to sleep in bunks.




Guard Tower


Well worn steps that lead to Solitary Confinement room.  No window, no light, nothing.


Smith O'Brien's Cottage
This cottage housed one of Port Arthur's most famous political prisoners - Irish Protestant Parliamentarian,  William Smith O'Brien. Transported for life, he was sent to Port Arthur after an attempted escape from *Maria Island.  (*A mountainous island off the east coast of Tasmania and is about 20kms in size ) 


The Chapel.in the Separate Prison.  Each cubicle was separate with a locked door.



Part of the Separate Prison.


The Church represents the important role of religion in convict reform at Port Arthur.  Up to 1100 people attended compulsory services here each Sunday.  Much of the decorative stonework and joinery in the church was crafted by boys from the Point Puer Boys' Prison.
Once the Highway went around the Church.  I remember it well.



The Isle of the Dead on the left, and Point Puer on the right.

Between 1834 and 1849, 3000 boys were sentenced to go to the boys’ prison at Point Puer.  The youngest had just turned 9 years old.
To get there required a short journey on the boat, the Prison was on an island, next to the Isle of the Dead!
Point Puer was the first separate boys' prison in the British Empire.  It was renowned for it's regime of stern discipline and harsh punishment.  However, the boys received an education while some were give the opportunity of trade training.


Isle of the Dead.
Between 1833 and 1877 around 1100 people were buried at the settlement's cemetery.  The Isle of the Dead is the final resting place for military and civil officers, their wives and children, and convicts.  The most common causes of death among convicts were industrial accidents, and respiratory disease.


Some gravestone from the ferry.


Shipwright's House, and Clerk of Works' House from the ferry.

63 comments:

  1. Around here we know very little about the history of Australia, even in the secondary school. I am curious to know why 3,000 children were imprisoned.

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    1. The young boys came from Britain and sent to the prison. Many of these boys were homeless back in England, so they picked pockets, others who were not homeless stole something to eat as there were many very poor people back in those days, some would have done more serious crimes. These boys were sent to Point Puer next to the Isle of the Dead.

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    2. Thank you Margaret for your explanation.

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  2. Guns only cause heartbreak, seldom do you hear or read about a good story that involves guns.

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  3. Un suceso bastante lamentable, que no habrá podido olvidar esa población. Es fundamental tener un buen control de las armas y que no se puedan comprar con tanta facilidad.

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    1. Something good often comes out of a tragedy, so the good was the banning of guns.

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  4. Those buildings look too neat and beautiful to be ruins.

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    1. They do indeed look neat and tidy but they have been restored so hence why they look good.

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  5. Such beautiful surroundings for such dreadful behaviour. Port Arthur has seen some dreadful tragedies over the years and I am very glad that the latest triggered changes to our gun laws.

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    1. The lawns and gardens are beautiful there EC. It's a big places to walk around but there are buggies apparently if you do the tour guide.
      One good thing came out of the tragedy, well several tragedies to be exact.

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  6. The history of Australia (inclusive that of Tasmania and Port Arthur) is greatly linked to convicts and prisons. That's a fact.

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    1. Yes, that's defiantly a fact Duta. Free settlers of came out back in those days as many were family of the convicted, Ministers of Religion came as free settlers, Doctors and so on...all to populate the Colony.

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  7. Thank goodness Australia had the sense to take swift action to prevent further tragedies of this kind, unlike the United States where mass shootings have become a daily feature of every day life, with little chance that it will ever change. Children are not even safe going to school. It is sheer madness.

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    1. We hear once in a while those shootings at the schools in the USA, and we think why do they have guns! It's so easy and safer without them so innocent children and others don't die. Farmers and those that absolutely need guns here can have them with special permission and have them locked in the designated place, safe. It's our right to walk about freely and we do so far..

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  8. It is an amazing place and larger then I expected when we visited there years back

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    1. Tasmania looks so small on a map yet as you say it's not that small, it's about the same size as Ireland Jo-Anne but you probably knew that :)

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  9. It does look like a colony ground with various amenities in place.

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    1. It's a beautiful place to visit yet many people say it's a sad place to visit and that is also the case.

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  10. That Port Arthur certainly put Australia on World news for all the wrong reasons.
    But the gun laws were a credit to the Australian and Tasmanian governments
    but it seems that we do still have insensible shootings.
    Copy-catting the USA ? I suspect so !
    One of my convict ancestors was sent here as a 17 year old boy after spending 3 years on a prison barge on the Thames River - the "horrendous" crime - he stole a rabbit from a " Noble's ESTABLISHMENT estate". Why???, the kids family was starving.- British justice stank!
    Anyhow that side of my family tree certainly in the end did well for themselves after he got his "Ticket of Leave" - taverns, inns and farming.
    So the "POMS" actually did my Aussie family tree a favour.
    So as the infamous or maybe famous Ned Kelly said on the scaffold -
    "SUCH IS LIFE".

    As usual Margaret a great and informative report.
    Cheers
    Colin

    :

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    1. It didn't seem how petty the crime was you were still sent to Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania). However it's interesting because when their sentence was done they were given free Land!
      It's good the guns were handed in except for the Farmers and those the had to have them with a special licence.

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  11. Buena serie de imagenes, que nos lleva a otros tiempos

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    1. Thanks and yes certainly another time and not such a good one either.

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  12. I do remember this one, and I'm glad to see it again. Thanks for reposting. I wish we could join you in gun sanity.

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    1. We can only hope about your guns, it's the people that use them that's the problem. It's good you remembered this post.

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  13. Glad they banned all guns with you, they should do the same in America.
    In the Netherlands, too, shootings often occur and politicians and famous people are threatened.
    I think they can also introduce solitary confinement here and only feed them water and bread, maybe it will help reduce crime.
    Here they often receive community service and they have to work somewhere, then they are off in a few days and then they can start again, the policy here is too weak, stricter action is my motto.
    The photos are beautiful.
    Greetings Irma

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    1. Thanks Irma re photos.
      Guns are a real problem and thanks for telling me about what happens there we you are as I didn't know.

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  14. I'm a nut for history! I love the old buildings!
    hugs
    Donna

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    1. Oh Donna, old buildings have so much character, so many stories to tell.

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  15. oh what a heartbreaking accident by psycho killer !
    area must be under silence for long .
    the prison images are nice .good that church is doing good job there .
    thanks for the things i may never know other wise
    blessings

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    1. Oh yes you are not wrong Baili, he's still in jail and will die in there I expect.
      You are welcome.

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  16. Conocía algo de la historia de Australia. Tu reportaje me ha gustado mucho, creo recordarlo pero no importa, me sigue gustando. Un abrazo Margaret.

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    1. Thank you Teresa, a refresh of the memory when publishing again :)

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  17. What a very sad event but a good result came from it. It's too bad the US doesn't do something like that but they are gun crazy.

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    1. Very sad so many people effect by the killings on that day, many people who were there are not the same anymore as we personally know a few who were there on that fateful day.
      Yes, it is a pity the US don't do something but I expect it won't happen.

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  18. I learned some more about Australia. Thank you.

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  19. Such an interesting post, Margaret.
    Love the old buildings - they have so much character.

    Hugs and blessings

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    1. They certainly do have a lot of character and many stories to tell Veronica.

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  20. Interesting post and you learn things you didn't know..
    Greetings to Australia from Greece
    Happy Continuation

    Sorry for my english

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  21. I didn't know the story of Port Arthur. Thank you for the interesting post and the beautiful pics.

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  22. Port Arthur is worth visiting. I like well kept ruins. Interesting.

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    1. Very interesting there, a lot of stories told and to be told about Port Arthur.

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  23. Non avevo visto questo post, quindi ti ringrazio per avermi ripubblicato, deve essere un posto stupendo Port Arthur

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    1. Certainly is beautiful and sad at the same time, however we focus on it'a beauty, Stefania.

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  24. Great info. Thanks for sharing 👍

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  25. Brilliant prison, but, at 9 years.......................

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    1. Yes Bill - 9 years young were some children, and they probably only did a really minor crime back in the 1800's, today they would just be told off.

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  26. It is an amazing museum. I visited years ago before the massacre.

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    1. It's certainly amazing, interesting and well kept Diane.

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  27. Thanks for the terrific photos and your descriptive prose, Margaret. I had quite forgotten about the separate prison. So glad you included that.

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    1. So dark and cold in the separate prison, I'm sure the prisoners would have been near frozen in the winter.
      You are welcome Pauline.

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  28. A huge place full of history. Going to prison at just 9 years old is scary, what law would that child have broken? Those were other times, austere and difficult times.
    It is certainly a very interesting visit, I loved knowing it for its excellent photos.

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    1. Thanks Maria.
      Heaven only knows what a 9 year old boy did back in those different times, probably not very much to todays standards.
      Cruel times back then.

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