The only thing we really knew about Port Arthur was that it was the site of Australia’s worst massacre in 1996 when 35 people were killed by a lone gunman and many wounded. Most victims were shot at a cafe at the Port Arthur settlement and you can pay your respects at a memorial.
The settlement at Port Arthur started out in 1833 as a place to send convicts who continued to offend once they reached Australia. It became a model for the rehabilitation of criminals based on Pentonville Prison in England. Prisoners were disciplined and punished but also received religious and moral instruction, training and education. As well as the prisoner population, soldiers and civil staff and their families also lived at Port Arthur and by 1840 there was a population of over 2000. Convict transportation ended in 1853 and the settlement then housed an institution for ageing and infirm convicts who became known as the ‘old gentlemen’. Some of these old gentlemen even led tours for the tourists who began arriving. As free settlers arrived, the name was changed from Port Arthur to Carnarvon to distance the town from its convict past. In 1856, the island also had a name change from Van Diemen’s Land to Tasmania.
Today, the site contains more than 30 buildings and extensive ruins and is set in landscaped gardens overlooking Mason Cove. Apart from the fact that it had turned cold again, this was a good tourist attraction for the Bradshaws as dogs are allowed into the site. The entrance ticket includes a 40 minute guided tour and a cruise round the cove (which wasn’t dog friendly).
In fact the tour had Winston’s paw of approval as there was frequent stopping when he could amuse himself by rolling in roo poo. Being the only dog there, he also received a lot of attention.