Hobart Market
Early Saturday morning after a very substantial breakfast we took a stroll around Hobart's Salamanca Market. This was no Fairy House Market, much more 'upmarket' with lots to tempt the customers. They even accepted credit cards (see photo, click to enlarge). Unfortunately as we only had an allowance of 7Kg’ we could only buy some postcards (remember them?) to send home.
Tour of Hobart and Port Arthur
At 11 pm. We met Martin our guide for the day and set off with 11 other tourists on our Mega Day Tour and Ghost Tour of Port Arthur, which included Richmond Colonial Village, Australia’s oldest bridge, Pirates Bay Lookout, Eaglehawk Neck, Tasman Arch & Devil’s Kitchen walk, Port Arthur historic Site by day and guided ghost tour by night. There was a lot of Tasman's this and Tasman's that so there was no doubting his importance or legacy. There was also a noticeable absence of indigenous names, most of the street and town names were British, there was no doubt that this place was set up as a home away from home.
Quaint and picturesque but what interested me most was St. John's church and the connection with Thomas Francis Meaghar-more later. Nice bridge on the way out of town.
Oldest Bridge in Australia - 1823
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian Devil is now an endangered species. It is more like a little pig and an ugly one at that! It squeals worse than any pig ever did. More than half of all wild devils have perished.
Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease is a unique contagious cancer, which is always fatal.
It is transferred directly by biting during feeding & mating.
Tasman’s Arch & Devil’s Kitchen
After thousands of years of erosion Tasman’s Arch & The Devil’s Kitchen were formed. Real scary standing here!!!
Eagle Hawk Dog Line
At Eagle Hawk neck a line of 18 ferocious dogs extended across the narrow isthmus preventing any intending escapees.
Port Arthur
This was an eerie place not least because of it's recent tragic history commemorated in the Memorial Garden. On Sunday 28th. April 1996, a tragic chapter was added to Port Arthur’s history when a gunman took the lives of 35 people and physically wounded 19 others in and around the Port Arthur Historic Site. The memorial garden incorporates the shell of the Broad Arrow Café, where 20 people were killed during the massacre.
But its fame extends way back to the mid nineteenth century. Port Arthur was named after Van Diemen's Land lieutenant governor George Arthur. The settlement started as a timber station in 1830, but it is best known for being a penal colony. Some cynics (like the tour guide in Hobart Prison) say that it was set up there because of the value of the timber.
From 1833, until the 1850s, it was the destination for the hardest of convicted British and Irish criminals, those who were secondary offenders having re-offended after their arrival in Australia. Rebellious personalities from other convict stations were also sent here, a quite undesirable punishment. In addition Port Arthur had some of the strictest security measures of the British penal system. A kind of Alcatraz.
One example is the "Separate Prison" system based on Pentonville prison in London. The Separate Prison (sometimes known as The Model Prison) was completed in 1853 and extended in 1855. The 80 cell prison was built in the shape of a cross with radial exercise yards around a central hall and chapel.It signalled a shift from physical punishment to psychological punishment. It was thought that the hard corporal punishment, such as whippings, used in other penal stations only served to harden criminals, and did nothing to turn them from their immoral ways. Under this system of punishment the "Silent System" was implemented in the building. Here prisoners were hooded and made to stay silent, this was supposed to allow time for the prisoner to reflect upon the actions which had brought him there. If you ask me it was a worse punishment. Outside this building was "Quigley's Cage" but I could not find out any information about it. Also saw 'Smith-O Brien's Cottage' one of the leaders of the 1848 Rebellion who was 'imprisoned' there. If my memory serves me correctly seven Young Irelanders were transported to Van Deemen's Land and they were called 'The Van Deemen Seven'.
From 1833, until the 1850s, it was the destination for the hardest of convicted British and Irish criminals, those who were secondary offenders having re-offended after their arrival in Australia. Rebellious personalities from other convict stations were also sent here, a quite undesirable punishment. In addition Port Arthur had some of the strictest security measures of the British penal system. A kind of Alcatraz.
One example is the "Separate Prison" system based on Pentonville prison in London. The Separate Prison (sometimes known as The Model Prison) was completed in 1853 and extended in 1855. The 80 cell prison was built in the shape of a cross with radial exercise yards around a central hall and chapel.It signalled a shift from physical punishment to psychological punishment. It was thought that the hard corporal punishment, such as whippings, used in other penal stations only served to harden criminals, and did nothing to turn them from their immoral ways. Under this system of punishment the "Silent System" was implemented in the building. Here prisoners were hooded and made to stay silent, this was supposed to allow time for the prisoner to reflect upon the actions which had brought him there. If you ask me it was a worse punishment. Outside this building was "Quigley's Cage" but I could not find out any information about it. Also saw 'Smith-O Brien's Cottage' one of the leaders of the 1848 Rebellion who was 'imprisoned' there. If my memory serves me correctly seven Young Irelanders were transported to Van Deemen's Land and they were called 'The Van Deemen Seven'.
The peninsula on which Port Arthur is located is a naturally secure site by being surrounded by water (rumoured by the administration to be shark-infested). The 30m wide isthmus of Eaglehawk Neck that was the only connection to the mainland was fenced and guarded by soldiers, man traps and half-starved dogs. (see above).
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