Port Arthur: history. Where is Port Arthur?

Fans of history and geography, of course, heard about the place called Port Arthur. Where is it, what is it and what features does it have? In all this we try to understand our article.

General information

So, we are interested in Port Arthur: where he is and what he is. Under it, as a rule, understand the old fort, which was sheltered nearby the town of the same name in the Gulf of Carnavon (Tasmania, Australia). It was located on a square of forty hectares and has a very bad reputation. The reason for such glory lies in the fact that earlier it served as a prison for convicts of strict regime, it was almost impossible to escape from it. For today the fort is used as a museum. And let part of the structures of the colony is destroyed and rebuilt, the rest is perfectly preserved and can tell a lot about distant and troubled times.

Port Arthur (where he is, we have already found out) today is included in the list of UNESCO protected sites as the most famous monument of the history of hard labor prisons. Chambers, churches, hospitals and hospitals institutions have retained their original appearance, and therefore have a high historical value.

A bit of history

Where is Port Arthur and what is it, the reader already knows. And everything began in 1830 from the logging station: new lands and colonies-settlements needed a building tree. It was decided to use the fort as a male prison for notorious scoundrels three years later. Criminals were brought here from all over the British Empire, and it was thanks to their work that Australia as a colony was self-sufficient. The flowering of hard labor occurred in the forties of the nineteenth century, and in 1877 it officially ceased to exist.

We already know where Port Arthur is, but we have not yet talked about the life of the prisoners. This prison quickly earned the title of hell on earth. Many of the convicts specifically killed their friends in misfortune or guards, since this was the only way to get rid of torment in Australia (the authorities pronounced a death sentence on them). The prison was well guarded, but there were still attempts to escape. True, not many managed to escape to freedom and hide, most of the convicts were caught and sent back.

Today every year about 250 thousand tourists come to the famous colony of Port Arthur.

Description Port Arthur

The whole complex is quite large. The most popular tourist attraction is a penal prison - its ruins are located just off the bay. There was a time when a mill operated here, working exclusively at the expense of the labor of prisoners, chained. But this venture was abandoned because the productivity was very low.

Behind the hard labor the commandant's residence rises. This is one of the first facilities on the territory of the fort, and it has been rebuilt more than once. Several rooms have been carefully restored and furnished with original furniture, which allows you to find out how the superiors of such a sad institution lived. After the closure of the prison in the residence settled hotel, which operated until the thirties of the last century.

Another attraction of Port Arthur is a garden, broken in place of the original garden of the 19th century after a careful analysis of all the information about it. Thus, the museum staff managed to restore the original appearance of the place intended for walks of women. Plantations extend up to the ruins of the church and occupy the whole hill.

There is at the territory of the fort another gloomy place - the "Island of the Dead", or the prison cemetery. A small patch of land, remote from the coast by only two hundred meters, was the last refuge of many inhabitants of Port Arthur. Tourists can see this landmark only with the guide, and the excursion on the island takes about an hour.

A separate group excursion should also be ordered for a visit to Point Poire, a prison for juvenile offenders. Although the children were detained separately from adult prisoners, their living conditions were almost the same. For fifteen years this colony operated for boys, where they worked hard, they were engaged in construction from the age of nine. The trip here will take two hours.

Excursions and tickets

See Port Arthur (where the city and fort, we wrote above) can each person. There are several types of tickets for visiting the complex:

• "Bronze", which allows you to stay in the fort for one day, includes the cost of familiarization tour (30 min.) And a short walk on the boat;
• "Silver" includes more audio, lunch, a trip to choose ("Point-Puer" or "Island of the Dead");
• "Golden" allows you to stay in the fort for two days, visit both the prison cemetery and the children's colony (it also includes two snacks and lunch);
• Evening pass allows you to get into the museum complex at the end of the day, enjoy dinner and a unique tour of ghosts.

It is worth noting that there are no separate tickets, only one pass to the territory of the huge museum.

Some more features of the town

The Museum of Port Arthur is not the only landmark of the city. He has several interesting places to visit, not related to the history of hard labor. For example, the Memorial Garden, created in memory of people who died in 1996. Then the mentally unhealthy man opened fire at the residents of the city, as a result of which 35 people were killed and 23 others were seriously injured.

On the territory of the fort the gallery "Lottery of life" is open. The visitor can choose a card with the name and description of the fate of any prisoner. Going along the gallery, you can trace his fate.

Instead of an afterword

Today Fort Port Arthur is a story that you need to know from which lessons should be learned, otherwise the future can recall the mistakes of the past.