Port Arthur - a place of ghosts and memories
By Dave Taylor
3 Dec 2008
The Port Arthur Historic Site, one and a half hours southeast of Hobart, Tasmania includes the ruins of a variety of convict era buildings. It is a truly moving place, full of the ghosts of those long dead.
The site is the place where I most become engaged with Australia history. Walking through the ruins of prison buildings, contrasted with the comparative luxury of the Commandant's Residence, you can almost feel the pain and despair of the convict population and what was perhaps the loneliness of the guards and other officials. These photos are mainly from the Commandant's Residence, which was briefly converted into a hotel in the earlier part of this century.
An ongoing restoration project is making significant progress, including some simply beautiful work on the gardens and landscape.
Tragically, at the site in 1996 a madman murdered 35 people in cold blood and wounded many more. An evocative memorial garden, featuring a reflecting pool, has been created among the ruins of the café where most of the killings took place.
2 responses
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Sarah Dudley gave props (8 Dec 2008):
Yes, a very interesting place indeed. Very haunted as I remember too? Nice work.
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John Linton gave props (18 Oct 2009):
Hell YEAH! Rad!
