A Convicts Tale

Port Arthur

The drive to Port Arthur today quite frankly blows us away. It’s through thickly wooded forests, past sapphire blue bays and the occasional galvanised metal house. The beauty of the surroundings belies the awful history of the place we are visiting. 

Port Arthur

It is the convict settlement of Van Demons land as it was then called, a beautiful and awful place all in one. The convicts from Britain where treated dreadfully for even the most minor of infringements and so many died. But equally the place they built in such a stunningly beautiful place defies imagination. Jet, our guide for the first section of the tour tries to paint a picture of life in the colony and does a reasonable job but for me it’s Christine the boat guide who fills in the spaces on the canvas.

Port Arthur Isle of the Dead

Our drive back via “the Blow Hole” and isthmus separating Port Arthur from the main part of Tasmania, where we stop to check out the view. The Tasmania Tuna Club are having a bit of a barbie with the lady in charge giving out her orders. It only remains for us to do a bit of shopping to stock up for a BBQ of our own on the deck overlooking the city, yummy.

Us outside Port Arthur church