Quite many people hold the view that Australia was "founded" by the labour of convicts. When the British colonial power "discovered" the abundant timber resources and the potential of Port Arthur to be developed as a port, the idea of mobilizing penal labour was conceived.
Since then, according to the Guide of the Port Arthur Historic Site Introductory Tour, perception of many Australians about this part of history has changed. What was once conceived to be a noble idea of reforming criminals has since been perceived to be contradictory and even downright incompatible with current human right edict. There was feeling of shame and there were even voices of getting rid of this site and erasing it from the face of the earth. But the tourism money brought in by the arrival of visitors and convicts' relatives slowly neutralized such sentiment. Port Arthur Historic Site is now an open museum, a World Heritage Site - a piece of history that is here to stay and to last.
Port Arthur Prison was a brutal place. There are tales of recalcitrant prisoners being placed in isolation in standing position in pitch black chamber 24-hr a day for a month. It is not hard to imagine why some convicts "lost" their minds!
In the Isle of the Dead, this is where convicts, solders, prison guards, free men and free women were buried. Non-convicts were assigned at the upper level of the hill while convicts at the base of the hill. One obvious difference is that convicts were buried in unmarked graves. According to the Guide, the reason for the absence of tombstones was that criminals were deemed to be destined for hell and so identification was unnecessary.
I was glad that Junshi reminded us to spend a day at this Historic Site. At the end of the tour, I left the Site perplexed and in bewilderment. For a reform and rehabilitation institution presumably founded on biblical principle, I couldn't reconcile the rationale that convicts were pre-determined to go to hell when about 1,800 years earlier, a convict who was nailed with Jesus was declared fit to enter heaven to enjoy eternal glory!
In the Isle of the Dead, this is where convicts, solders, prison guards, free men and free women were buried. Non-convicts were assigned at the upper level of the hill while convicts at the base of the hill. One obvious difference is that convicts were buried in unmarked graves. According to the Guide, the reason for the absence of tombstones was that criminals were deemed to be destined for hell and so identification was unnecessary.
I was glad that Junshi reminded us to spend a day at this Historic Site. At the end of the tour, I left the Site perplexed and in bewilderment. For a reform and rehabilitation institution presumably founded on biblical principle, I couldn't reconcile the rationale that convicts were pre-determined to go to hell when about 1,800 years earlier, a convict who was nailed with Jesus was declared fit to enter heaven to enjoy eternal glory!
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| The penitentiary, once housed hundreds of convicts in dormitories and solitary cells |
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| Once the hospital. |
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| The restored Pastor's residence. |
There are no seats at the prison chapel. All convicts were to stand for the whole duration of the service.
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| Habour Cruise. |
We signed up for a habour cruise during the visit. The cruise passed through this islet that once housed the Point Puer Boys Prison. Around 3,000 children between the ages of nine and sixteen served sentences there.
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