Swansea to Port Arthur



Dawn over Freycinet Peninsula (from Swansea)

 
We worked our way down the east coast stopping at Swansea where there is a restored bark mill set up as if it is still operational with the steam power plant running all the belts to drive all the equipment. Black Wattle bark is high in tannin and was crushed and bagged for use in the tanneries.

Triabunna

The next stop was Triabunna, a small sheltered fishing village where you can camp behind the pub for a donation to the local fire or ambulance service and from there it was on to Dunalley where once again it was camping behind the pub.

Convict built bridge with spikey top made of local stone

All these stops and the communities in between are linked by winding coastal or hill country roads – great to drive in the Moke. Of particular interest were two hills called “Break-my-neck” and “Bust-my-gall”, they must have been a real challenge in the early days of horses and wagon transport.

We used Dunalley as a base to visit the historic penal settlement of Port Arthur. The introductory talk was very enlightening as we learned that the reforming ideals were quite advanced and the convicts who accepted the system had the opportunity to learn trades, learn to read and write and get a basic education (the library had 13,000 books!). An attempt was made to keep young prisoners separated from the older men and the old, infirm and insane were provided with care so that in the last few years before Port Arthur closed a large percentage of the inmates fell into this category. Punishments were severe however and flogging or working in heavy leg irons were common punishments, also solitary confinement and periods of sensory deprivation.

Main penetentiary building and hospital ruin behind

The area now looks like parkland with magnificent sandstone ruins but it was once a busy industrial township with brick-making, timber cutting and woodworking, a four mill, smithing, and many other trades. All the timber buildings have now gone, leaving the convict built stone structures. There was so much to see we went back for a second day

A boat trip out into the bay was part of the entry price and to our delight our trip included an impromptu dolphin viewing as we caught up with a large pod of dolphins, including young, who kept pace just under bow of the boat.