Port Arthur Historic Site

Tuesday 15th November 2016

We got up nice and early so we could make the most of our visit to the Port Arthur Historic Site. The sun was out and slightly warmer than it had been, so it made for a perfect day to be wandering around outside.

The entrance to the Government Gardens.

We had arrived right when the site opened so we were lucky enough to enjoy the gardens alone. So peaceful.

The site really had a strange feeling to it. So much hardship and punishment took place here many years ago, and we now get to walk the grounds and enjoy what has become such a popular tourist destination.

The old guard tower that overlooks the harbour.

The Penitentiary. This building was gutted by fire in the 1800's and quite a lot of work had gone in to keeping the building up and safe for the public to walk through.

We made our way around the harbour and to the jetty to jump aboard the harbour cruise. The cruise takes you over to the Point Puer Boy's Prison, which was built to separate the young convicts from the bad influence of the older men.

You can take a guided tour of the prison, or just view the island from the boat and hear the stories from the captain, which we decided to do.

Back to the main site and this time we found ourselves walking through an orchard, which has been re-planted with many of the plants from the time of the convict settlement.