Port Arthur, Tasmania

Grind being the operative word here...

Building started out as a mill and then became the Penitentiary.

Work area and above was the hospital.

The Hospital...staffed by mostly convicts had a great record of care.

In Orange the Asylum...not a place you wanted to be sent.

Isle of the dead...buried a long way from home.

Point Pure Boys Prison...1st childrens prison in the Bristish Empire.

Government Gardens were beautiful.

Fire and Brimstone nightly...

Crystal Clear water. The inmates were told the area was shark infested.

A World Heritage designated area.

Great view from just below the Commandants House.

All the Officers lived behind these walls...whose the prisoner???

In 1830 Port Arthur was founded as a Timber Getting Station...All the labor was provided by convicts who had been transported to Australia from England. I have heard there were approximately 160,000 of these transportees. Starting in 1833 the area was used to house repeat offenders from all over Australia...some of the offenses were almost ridiculous while others were serious...all of these convicts were the work force that built the town, the prison, the hospital and everything else that is here. They literally started with nothing but saws and hammers, they made their own bricks, cut their own stones, planted their own food and even manned their own hospital. Its a interesting history these Aussie's have, on one tour we heard that 25% of today's Australian population can track there lineage to the transportees. There are some interesting characters and stories we've heard but one I really like is the story of Billy Hunt...Billy was an escape artist...now remember when you escaped if they caught you the punishment was horrible with a capital H. One day Billy was working and came across a dead Kangaroo, he eyed it for a few minutes and then set about skinning it...being careful how he cut it he somehow managed to wiggle inside the Skin and made his way to one of the post used to come and go from the prison...as he approached the area he started to hop, thinking he could just hop his way right out the gate...Poor Billy had made one major miscalculation...the guards were not fed any better than the convicts but occasionally they had the good fortune of shooting an animal to add to there diet, so here's Billy hopping away and the guards overlooking the area started shooting at him...how surprised were they when the kangaroo stopped cold and threw up his arms...they dug poor Billy out of his kangaroo skin, gave him 75 lashes with the cat of 9 tails and probably had the biggest laugh of their careers. Billy its rumored went on to more escape attempts but not dressed as a kangaroo!