The historical fortress of Port Arthur is located near the town of the same name, on the coast of the Gulf of Carnavon in Tasmania . It occupies the territory of approximately 40 hectares where the colony of prisoners used to be . Today the fort is partially destroyed, but the buildings of the penal prison, , hospitals for the insane and the church - some structures have been restored, but most are in their original condition . Port Arthur is the most famous historical monument of the history of hard labor prisons in the world, and UNESCO declared its object World Heritage of Humanity .
How to get to Port Arthur
Port Arthur is located about 100 km southeast of Hobart on the Tasman peninsula. Getting here by car, it is better to plan a trip for the whole day: Port-Arthur itself is large enough, and it can take 4-6 hours to inspect it. Bus tours to fort jail are also sent from Hobart (the duration of the trip is about 12 hours)
More than 15 excursion programs in Australia and New Zealand.
Unique and exclusive programs for discerning tourists. Visa processing.
22.02 - 13 days "All the way around" from 269,000 rubles
02.03, 28.03, 25.04, 30.05 - 13 days "All the way around + Red Center" from 336 000 rubles.
A little bit of history
Initially, Port Arthur was founded in 1830 g . as a logging station designed to meet the needs of a young colony in construction materials . A male colony for hardened criminals appeared here in 1833 . The most notorious offenders of the British Empire were here cited, whose conviction in Australia was already repeated . On peak of its "popularity" in the 1840s . the settlement was almost self-sufficient: the labor of convicts was used for all of them d . In the next couple of decades, the recession began, and in 1877 the . history of Port Arthur as a penal prison ended .
Port Arthur was one of the most strictly protected British prisons . This was also sent to those who started riots at other penalties . @ Officially, Port Arthur was considered a prison from which it is impossible to escape, but attempts were made here, and some were even successful . The most tragic attempt to escape from Port Arthur was the unsuccessful escape of George "Billy" Hunt, who dressed in the kangaroo skin and tried in this form to get across Isthmus . Hunt was taken for a fly by half-hungry guards counting on diversifying their ration and, having noticed this, surrendered to .
Sights of Port Arthur
The ruins of a convict prison are the most famous fort site and one of the largest. They are right outside the bay. Initially, since 1843, the building served as a flour mill, where millstones were put into action by prisoners, chain-bound. Great performance in this way was not achieved, and since 1857 the building has become just a prison.
The residence of the commandant behind the convict prison was built in 1833 and was repeatedly rebuilt. Inside there are several restored rooms with original furnishings. They can be judged both about the life of the prison commandant's family and about the subsequent use of the building as a hotel until the 1930s.
The government garden stretched on a hill to the ruins of the church. This is a copy of the garden of the 19th century, but carefully made: the plants are planted here on the basis of the analysis of the seeds and descriptions of that time. During the existence of the colony, the garden was a resting place for the ladies.
The Island of the Dead is not large and is located about 200 meters from the shore. Here is the prison cemetery, which can only be viewed with a guide. The tour takes place several times a day and takes about an hour
The Point-Puer prison for boys was on the other side of the bay, opposite the main colony . It was opened under the influence of reform ideas about separate content children and adult criminals and functioned from 1834 to . to 1849 . nevertheless, the colony's severe orders did not greatly distinguish it from the adult, and children from 9 years of age worked hard here, including construction . Visit Point Point is also possible only with an organized excursion th accompanied by a guide from September to July . Duration of the excursion - about 2 hours .
Memorial garden is not related to a penal prison. It was created in memory of those who died in the massacre in 1996, when a mentally unbalanced type opened fire on innocent citizens of Port Arthur, killing 35 and injuring 23 people
The Lottery of Life Gallery is located inside the visitor center. Everyone here receives a randomly chosen card, which describes the fate of one of the real prisoners. His life path can be traced by following the gallery.
Tickets and excursions
To visit the fort there are tickets of different types . A bronze badge gives the right to stay in the territory during the day, a half-hour orientation tour upon arrival and a half-hour walk through harbor on the boat . Silver badge adds to this a trip to the Dead Island or to Point Boy Pu'er, audiotour and lunch . The gold badge allows you to visit the fort for two days, includes both sightseeing trips, lunch and two snacks . You can also Restart an evening pass that can only be accessed at the end of the day: dinner and ghost tour included . There are no separate admission tickets .
| The building with the cells of the prisoners, Port Arthur |
| View of Port Arthur |
| Brick walls, Port Arthur |
| Lookout Tower, Port Arthur |
| Surviving Entrance to the Prison, Port Arthur |