Tasman Island Boat Cruise and Port Arthur Historical Convict Site

Today was fabulous!  We had an early start this morning to make it to the Tasman Island Cruise on time, but I think we all agree that it was definitely worth it!  Below are some of the picture highlights...

Then it was off to Port Arthur Historical Convict Site.  In the 1800's, the English shipped most of thier convicts to Tasmania, then known as "Van Diemen's Land".  The convicts ended up at Port Arthur for things like stealing a carrot or stealing a loaf of bread...pretty harmless crimes.  The convicts were stripped of all thier possesions, given a number and stuck in a cell.  They were not allowed to communicate to any other prisoner and were only able to talk to an officer when spoken to and were not allowed to use thier name, only thier number.  The only noises they heard most days were chains clanking and keys swinging from side to side as the general walked around the facility.  Some were required to do very hard, manual labor while in prison, and others were in solitary confinement for weeks on end or beaten up to 100 times a day.  The intellegent prisoners or perhaps those who had skills prior to enprisonment, left Port Arthur with skills in shoe-making or as a blacksmith, but it seems that this was the exception to the rule.  We couldn't help but pick up on the sadness and eirie feeling that surounded the entire grounds.  Even the trees seemed to weap for the prisoners who perished at Port Arthur, who no doubt were treated unfaily for their "crimes" and sentenced to years in prison.  Good, bad or ugly, the history of Port Arthur is still significant and should be told, as not to be repeated in future generations.  We would have loved to spend a bit more time at Port Arthur exploring all the buildings and reading the history, but perhaps we'll have to make another trip back.  Below are a couple of the beautiful pictures that encompass the Port Arthur Convict Site.