I went to Port Arthur and acted like I was a tourist for the day. I was blown away by the scale of the whole site. I am not sure what I was expecting. Something much smaller I think. Port Arthur was a full scale penal settlement with a penitentiary, barracks for the soldiers, a hospital, houses for the important folk, an impressive church, gardens, shipyard and others. Post life as a penal settlement it also functioned as a town, ceasing as the government bought up the land and properties and converted it into a tourist site rather than a place to live.
The entry fee into the site included two days of access, and I could imagine how you could spend that long just immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the place. Awesome! I recommend a visit, and prepare to spend a bit of time wandering the grounds and buildings.
The last place I visited outside of Hobart was Richmond. Here I saw the Richmond Gaol, the oldest intact gaol in Australia, Richmond Bridge, the oldest bridge in Australia still in use and Oak Lodge, a home built between 1831 and 1842, and lived in until the 1990s when it was donated to the National Trust.
Also in Richmond were some lovely shops, inclding the Peppercorn Gallery, a collective of local artists. There were so many lovely pieces in the gallery but I do not have anywhere to put them! If you like your souvenirs soft and cuddly, then Teddies on the Green is probably more your style. They had lots of lovely teddies and toys and also a room with patterns and fabrics and all the pieces you would need to make your own teddy!
I was still on the convict trail so I headed back to Hobart to the Cascades Female Factory to learn of the fate of female convicts. The site itself has only (some) walls standing, and you have to use your imagination to picture the women who were incarcerated there.
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