Today was all about the UNESCO World heritage site of Port Arthur which is Australia's most intact convict site. Tickets were $69 each as we included the Isle of the Dead as well as the Point Puer Boys Prison tour - one of those things whereby you may as well do everything as you arenot likely to ever be back again.
We started with the free walking tour having arrived as it first opened. A great intro look around the site and knowing where we wanted to go back to. It started off as a timber getting camp which used convict labour and from 1833 was used as a punishment station for repeat offenders from all British colonies. Then we did our harbour cruise and were off loaded on the Isle of the Dead - fantastic guide who made the cemetry tour worthwile with lots of good stories about the people buried there. About 1100 people were buried here - mixture of the military and convicts. Then onto Port Puer - guide again was informative but didnt add the humour - bit more walking here and fortunately the drizzle had stopped. This was the first purpose built juvenile reformatory in the 'British Empire' - was done to protect the younger boys from the older criminal influence -sounded very harsh here but the boys got an education and learnt a trade. Back to the main site and walked and walked soaking up lots of information along the way. Sounds like life was very tough here and quite sobering over all in regards to the conditions that prisoners lived in and even more so for some of the 'crimes' they had been sent there for. The memorial garden to for Port Arthur massacre in 1996was also very poignant.Very easy to spend 1-2 days here wandering around.
Left here mid afternoon as had enough hsitory and were no longing focusing or remembering what we were looking at and reading. Went for a short drive to the Remarkable Cave - lots and lots of steps down to the cave - just what I needed after a day of walking around. However saw a delightful fairy wren which made it all worthwhile.