The historic Fort Port Arthur is located near the town of the same name, on the coast of the Gulf of Carnavon in Tasmania .It covers an area of about 40 hectares, where a colony of prisoners used to be located .Today, the fort is partially destroyed, but in its composition the buildings of the penal prison, hospitals, sanatoriums and churches have been preserved - some structures have been restored, but most of them are in their original condition .Port Arthur is the most famous historical monument of the history of hard labor prisons in the world, and UNESCO declared it a World Heritage site .
How to get to Port Arthur
Port Arthur is located about 100 km southeast of Hobart on the Tasman peninsula. Getting here by car, it is better to plan a trip for the whole day: Port-Arthur itself is large enough, and it can take 4-6 hours to inspect it. Bus tours to fort jail are also sent from Hobart (the duration of the whole trip is about 12 hours).
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A bit of history
Initially, Port Arthur was founded in 1830 .as a logging station, designed to meet the needs of a young colony in construction materials .Men's colony for hardened criminals appeared here in 1833 .Here, the most notorious offenders of the British Empire were exiled, whose conviction in Australia was already repeated .At the peak of his "popularity" in the 1840s .the settlement was practically self-sufficient: the labor of convicts was used for all of its needs .In the next couple of decades, the recession began, and in 1877 g .the history of Port Arthur as a penal prison ended .
Port Arthur was one of the most strictly protected British prisons .This included including those who started riots at other penalties .Officially, Port Arthur was considered a prison from which it is impossible to escape, but attempts to escape were made here, and some were even successful .The most tragic attempt to escape from Port Arthur was the unsuccessful escape of George "Billy" Hunt, dressed in the skin of a kangaroo and attempted in this form to cross the isthmus .Hunt was taken for a fly by half-starved guards, who calculated to diversify their diet, and, having noticed this, surrendered to .
Attractions in Port Arthur
The ruins of a convict prison are the most famous object of the fort and one of the largest. They are right outside the bay. Initially, since 1843, the building served as a flour mill, where millstones were put into action by prisoners, chain-bound. Great performance in this way was not achieved, and since 1857 the building has become just a prison.
The residence of the commandant behind the convict prison was built in 1833 and was repeatedly rebuilt. Inside there are several restored rooms with original furnishings. They can be judged both about the life of the prison commandant's family and about the subsequent use of the building as a hotel until the 1930s
The government garden stretched on a hill to the ruins of the church. This is a copy of the garden of the 19th century, but carefully made: the plants are planted here on the basis of the analysis of the seeds and descriptions of that time. During the existence of the colony, the garden was a resting place for ladies.
The Island of the Dead is not large and is located about 200 meters from the shore. Here is the prison cemetery, which can only be viewed with a guide. The tour takes place several times a day and takes about an hour.
The prison for boys Point Point was on the other side of the bay, opposite the main colony .It was opened under the influence of reform ideas about the separate keeping of children and adult criminals and functioned since 1834 .to 1849 g .Nevertheless, the severe colony arrangements did not greatly distinguish it from the adult, and children from 9 years of age were engaged in heavy work, including construction .You can also visit Point-Puer with an organized guided tour from September to July .Duration of the excursion is about 2 hours .
The memorial garden is not related to a hard labor prison. It was created in memory of those killed in the massacre in 1996, when a mentally unbalanced type opened fire on innocent citizens of Port Arthur, killing 35 and injuring 23 people.
The "Lottery of Life" Gallery is located inside the visitor center. Everyone here receives a randomly chosen card, which describes the fate of one of the real prisoners. His life path can be traced by following the gallery.
Tickets and excursions
To visit the fort there are tickets of different types .A bronze badge gives you the right to stay in the territory during the day, a half-hour orientation tour upon arrival and a half-hour walk along the harbor by boat .Silver badge adds to this a trip to the Island of the Dead or to the prison for boys "Point-Puer", audio and dinner .A gold badge allows you to visit the fort for two days, includes both sightseeing trips, lunch and two snacks .Also you can buy an evening pass, the entrance is possible only at the end of the day: dinner and ghost tour are included here .There are no separate entrance tickets .
| The building with the cells of prisoners, Port Arthur |
| View of Port Arthur |
| Brick walls, Port Arthur |
| Observation tower, Port Arthur |
| The remaining entrance to the prison, Port Arthur |