Today we utilised our ‘Ticket of Leave’ to visit Port Arthur with Babcia. She has wanted to go there every time she has visited with us, So today was her lucky day!
Tag Archive for 'Convicts'
Port Arthur
Today we went down to Port Arthur to have a look around. We had been there the day before, but due to high winds and bad weather, the settlement was actually closed. So after much disappointment at not being able to go inside, we returned today to give it another go at gaining entry. In Convict times, being able to escape from Port Arthur, would have been the issue, but now a days, it looked like the tables had turned as yesterday we could not get in!
Anyway, the weather today was beautiful. The sun shone for most of the day while we where at the historical site, and even the wind managed to stay under control. We started out with a walking tour guide, who explained the workings of Port Arthur and the history behind it. Her name was Caitlin and she was very engaging. The Tour lasted for around 40 minutes before we all disbanded and set off on our own adventures to discover the buildings and ruins.
Here are some photos of our day out at Port Arthur.
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- The view looking down from the Seperate Prison
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- Isle of the Dead – Cemetary
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- Boat Docks
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- Old photo of what Port Arthur looked like in its hay day
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- The Church at Port Arthur in the early days
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- View Towards the Water
Well here we are. It is Friday again another week over. I always remember when I was younger, many older people saying time runs away from you the older you get. I used to muse at their comments, but here I am, wondering where the time has gone and why it passes by so quickly.
This week has been a very big week. We have all been busy with a lot of stuff around the house as we have been confined to it, due to one of our cars needing to go to the mechanic to get fixed. Therefore all our learning has been focused around the house and local area – other than what we can do online.
Next week will be much the same while we wait for the car to be completely up and running. We are having a visitor come and stay with us next week. Which is going to be good. They will be with us for ten days. I am not sure what we will be doing during this time as we wont have a car, but they will have a hire car, so atleast they can get out and do whatever they wish.
On the 31st of August, they have organised for us to go to Port Arthur for the day. This is going to be a highlight of our week. Over the course of this year we have been learning abut Australian History and convicts. We have done a lot of research, visited as many historical places connected to convicts as we can, but so far have not managed to get to Port Arthur just yet. SZG and I have been there over ten years ago, but it will be great to see Port Arthur from a different perspective and really get a feel for it, now that we have been learning about the people who where housed there and their crimes. I just hope that the weather is great as Port Arthur is all open and wild or wet weather would definitely ‘dampen’ the experience. The children are very excited about their Auntie coming to stay and their upcoming trip to Port Arthur with her.
I am also in the process of organising an educational day tour at Port Arthur for home educated families in February 2010. I have already asked for expressions of interest and received wonderful feedback. The idea is that we will enjoy an educational tour of Port Arthur and spend a day or two there. Quite a few of us are also looking at making it into a camp, by staying over a night or two in the local area so that we can spend some time together, which would be great and a lot of fun. I just hope I can pull it all together – in time!
Anyway, I shall add some photos of our trip to Port Arthur with our visitor, once we have been for you all to see.
Roleplaying - A Female Working Convict
Living in Tasmania, there is a lot of real life history around us that dates back to the convict era. That is why we decided in early December, that we would research and look at Australian Convict History, and in particular Tasmanian convict life and settlements.
One of our field trips so far has involved visiting Richmond Gaol, in the Town of Richmond, around 20 or so kilometres out of Hobart. This field trip proved to be so educational that I have started to really explore the history of the Tasmanian convict era in order to ensure that our homeschooling experience in one of fun, learning and opportunities to see first hand real life convict settlements within Tasmania.
In 2009, we will be delving deeper into the theme of Australian Convicts and will be visiting a number of historic convict places in Tasmania to help us gain a greater understanding of how they lived, what they endured and why may people where sent to Australia as convicts.
According to www.tourismtasmania.com.au tasmania has the following convict sites:
Sarah Island – The ruins of the once notorious Sarah Island penal settlement (1822-1833) can be experienced by cruise from the fishing port of Strahan on Macquarie Harbour. The island is a part of a vast tract of Tasmanian wilderness protected under World Heritage status.
Port Arthur Historic Site - The Port Arthur Historic Site (on 125 hectares/309 acres) today is a world-class tourist attraction, with an interactive visitor centre and more than 30 historic buildings and ruins, set within beautiful gardens and native surroundings.
Tasman Peninsula Convict Trail – takes in seven locations in an area where Tasmania’s convict history is most concentrated. They include: Eaglehawk Neck, site of the famed Dog Line; the Coal Mines; Saltwater River and Wedge Bay. The Trail includes spectacular land formations along the coastline of the Tasman National Park. Read about the Tasman Peninsula’s convict past.
The Female Factory, Hobart – considered the female equivalent to Port Arthur: hundreds of women and children were gaoled there from 1828-1877, with many dying from poor hygiene, inadequate nutrition and backbreaking work. Female Factory Website.
Richmond – the majority of this historic town appears much as it would have done in the mid-nineteenth century, when convict labour was derigetour. The gaol, built in 1825, housed prisoners, including bushranger Martin Cash. Although tiny compared with Port Arthur’s immense scale, the gaol at Richmond is unique as the buildings and cells are intact and eerily reminiscent of their torturous past. Richmond has Australia’s oldest road bridge, built by convict labour in 1823.
Therefore these are the ones that we will be including into our learning and Field Trip experiences over the next 12 months.
Other Interesting Articles
Home Educational Resources – Books about Australian Convict History
Homeschool Happenings – Australian Early Settlers and Convict History
