Surrounded by shark-infested waters and separated from Tasmania
by a narrow neck of land, Port Arthur holds a reputation of being an inescapable
prison. As the Sun Princess sailed into the bay and
dropped anchor, the spectacular views conjure up visions of peace and serenity
but it is just the backdrop to a dramatic history. Port
Arthur’s story is one of pain, sorrow and unspeakable tragedy, but ultimately,
resilience.
Port Arthur requires a tender transfer from your cruise
ship. Our first tender pulled away from
the ship and headed into Port Arthur at 8:55am, taking only 15 minutes to reach
the pier.
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| Tender arrives at Port Arthur pier |
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| View from the pier |
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| Port Arthur Penal Colony |
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| Inside the jail |
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| Remains of the penitentiary |
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| Remains at the penitentiary |
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| Sights in the jail |
In 1996, tragically it was the site of the worse mass murder event in Australian history with
35 people killed and 23 wounded.
Twenty-eight year old Martin Bryant, unable to read and write with a registered I.Q. of 66, pleaded guilty to the
shootings and was given 35 life sentences without the possibility of parole
plus 1,035 years for other crimes.
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| Martin Bryant |
Port Arthur offers a 40-minute guided tour or you can simply proceed on your own to explore the open-air
ruins, primitive colonial gardens, restored period homes and over 30 restored
buildings.
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| Ruins at Port Arthur |
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| Garden Area at Port Arthur |
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| Restored building at Port Arthur |
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| Gardens at Port Arthur |
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| Sights at Port Arthur |
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| Sights at Port Arthur |
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| Inside one of the churches at Port Arthur |
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| Old stove inside building at Port Arthur |
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| Convict pews inside church at Port Arthur |
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| Shipyard display area |
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| Hiking trail at Port Arthur |
From the pier you have many options available. Take a harbor cruise
past Point Puer Boys’ Prison, the first reformatory of its kind in the British Empire. Around 3,000 boys between the ages of 9 and
16 were housed here between 1834 and 1849.
The harbor cruise will make a stop at the Isle of the Dead with over 1,000 burials, mostly convicts and ex-cons from the Port Arthur Penal
Colony. This is a tranquil cemetery
containing a collection of mass graves and fading headstones on a bush-covered
island.
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| Heading to Isle of the Dead |
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| Headstones on Isle of the Dead |
Yet another option is to head to the Coal Mines Historic Site, where the worst offenders toiled away for years. It represents Tasmania’s first operational
mine, which still features the remains of narrow mine shafts and 18 dark and
dingy solitary cells.
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| Coal Mines Historical Site. Photo-public domain |
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| Coal Mines Historical Site. Photo-public domain |
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| Coal Mines Historical Site. Photo-public domain |
One of the more engaging experiences is the
Convict Gallery, where you can play the Lottery of Life, which gives you the
opportunity to get to know a Port Arthur convict. Each playing card represents
a real life convict.
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| Lottery of Life Card Game |
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| Learning about the convicts |
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The day quickly flew by and time didn't allow for Marci and I to take the harbor cruise out to Isle of the Dead or to see the Coal Mines Historic Site.
Tip: Decide what are your 'must see' things and do those first as time will quickly get away from you and before you know it, the last tender will be heading back to the ship.
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