Port Arthur, part two

posted in: Tasmania

Part one can be found here. After our harbour cruise and some food we headed into the grounds to tour some of the buildings.    We started with the penitentiary. I really wish there had been some signs with some detail to tell us more about this building.  Other buildings did have information, so maybe we somehow missed it with this one. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two DSC_3947 How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part twoHow Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two Once you went around back there was a walkway that led to another view. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two DSC_3961How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two It’s been long enough that I’m fuzzy on the details about all the different buildings. DSC_3964 This was the Commandant’s home.  They’ve furnished and decorated many of the buildings. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two This little wooden doll freaked me out a little.  I think it was the placement of it.  Why the floor? How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two Love this kitchen! How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two Later the house was used as a boarding house, this was the bedroom of the lady that ran the house. DSC_3970 Her daughter slept up in the loft.  When I explained this to my kids they immediately all wanted to climb up there to see what it was like!  Too bad it was blocked off. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two I think this was the pantry, but I have in my head a picture of a very different one.  Maybe there was more than one, or maybe the one I’m thinking of was in a different house. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two This is the Guard Tower.  How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two I don’t even remember this at all, but it shows up in my pictures right after the Guard Tower.  It must be in one of the nearby buildings. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two I think this is from the Junior Medical Officer’s House.  If I’m remembering correctly, one of the doctors that lived here had something like nine children (or more?). DSC_3986 I love this picture.  :)  I kept pointing out the wash basins to the kids, something we don’t see anymore. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two And the church.  I love old churches. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part twoHow Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two TurboBug thought he needed to stand here for a picture.  He backed up to the wall and smiled and wouldn’t move until I’d taken one. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two Big Sister followed suit. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part twoHow Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two According to the signs they don’t know who made these bells.  They suspect it was a convict with previous experience at bell casting since it requires a specific skill set.  These are probably the first bells cast in this country. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two This is another little church nearby, St David’s Church.  LadyBug walked in and pronounced it small but beautiful. How Many More Minutes? ~ Port Arthur, part two Port Arthur is huge.  The entry ticket includes admission for two consecutive days.  I would have liked to go back to explore some of the buildings we didn’t get to see.  But two days in a row is too much for the kids…all that walking around all those boring old buildings.  :)  I really wish they’d allow you to do your second visit within a week or even a month.  We were exhausted by the end of the day and we would have been dragging some pretty grumpy kids along if we’d done a second day.  Sean did take SkeeterBug over to the Separate Prison, which made an impression on both of them.  The convicts were treated pretty severely for minor infractions. Port Arthur was also the scene of an awful massacre in 1996.  There’s a memorial garden and I also noticed a plaque in the visitor centre dedicated to the employees who were killed that day.  It’s the event that spurred on Australia’s gun control laws.  I won’t say more, you can easily search the web for more information.  It was impossible not to walk around the grounds and think of that day. Our visit to Port Arthur was very educational for me, not knowing much about Australian history.  JitterBug surprised me by saying this was one of his favourite things we did in Tasmania.  I’m glad he forgot how tired his legs were that day.  😉

  1. […] in an isthmus and this beach is part of that.  Here’s a map that shows where we were.  Port Arthur is further south.  Eaglehawk Neck is the isthmus, and it was heavily guarded when the prison […]

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