Tasmania 2024 Day 2 – Tesselated Pavement and Port Arthur

Today G and N went off for a long run about 10 mins drive away in Murdunna while S and I had a bit of sleep-in before heading to the Tesselated Pavement. These rock formations are formed by movement along fault lines fractured the siltstone and erosion has deepened the pattern. Pan formations (more weathering within the formation) form closer to the high tide mark where they dry out more and salt crystals have more chance to form. loaf formations form further out where sea water channelling through the cracks weathers them more quickly. It was a highish tide that was rising when we went which meant coming back we had to time our final scamper back to the path between the waves or risk getting wet. We went back in the late afternoon at high tide to get a better look at the formations.

After our walk and scramble on the beach we headed up to the lookout over Pirate’s Bay where good coffee awaited those who can drink coffee. I had banana bread, which was excellent. Moist and dense with a sticky top. We met the guys up there after they finished their run.

After admiring the view while finishing our coffee we headed back to the house for the guys to get cleaned up before we headed to Port Arthur. This is one of eleven sites that form the UNESCO World Heritage Convict Sites. In 1996 it was also the site of the worst mass shooting in modern Australia’s history with 35 people killed and 23 people wounded. It was this event that led to the National Firearms Agreement with much stricter gun controls and two national gun buybacks, during which more than a million guns were collected and destroyed.

Port Arthur was established as a secondary punishment site, which meant that it was for convicts who committed crimes after they were transported to Australia. The narrow piece of land at Eaglehawk Neck was easily guarded to prevent prisoners escaping off the Tasman Peninsula. The sheltered, deep-water harbour provided access to ships to bring supplies and convicts, and take away the timber, coal and other natural resources harvested by the convicts.

We arrived around midday and watched the introductory video and looked at some exhibits while we waited for our Commandant’s Tour. We generally do tours with a guide if we can as G prefers that to reading information boards or listening to pre-recorded audio. Our friends looked around independently and enjoyed the talks at the various buildings that run throughout the day.

The worst part was the Separate Prison, built in 1850, it was designed to inflict psychological punishment. The prison was completely silent. The prisoners remained in their cells for 23 hours a day, being let out for church or exercise. When out, they had to wear masks so they couldn’t communicate with each other. In church, each prisoner stood in a coffin-shaped box from which they could only see the pulpit where the minister would preach at them. We went into the sensory deprivation cell and shut the doors (there’s a series of four doors to ensure the cell is soundproof) for about 10 seconds. It was very unpleasant.

The doctor’s house and the Commandant’s house had beautiful original panelling and have been re-wallpapered in a reproduction of the original. In the entryway of the Commandant’s House there was a remnant of the original wallpaper. Some original artifacts have been returned to the site since the restoration as well as examples of furniture from the period to give you a feel of what it would have looked like.

Once we finished our tour we had just enough time to wander through The Penitentiary before our scheduled Harbour Cruise, which is included in the site entry. By this time we were starving and were luckily able to get a reasonable quiche on the boat. On the cruise you have a good view of the site from the water. The cruise goes past the dockyards and around the Isle of the Dead, which was where people who died at Port Arthur were buried. After the cruise we drove back to the house and relaxed before heading out to dinner at one of the few places to eat in town – the Lufra Bistro. This is conveniently located just across from the Tesselated Pavement so we were able to pop down and see it at low tide before going for dinner. The Bistro serves standard pub-style food. We had an enjoyable meal and then spent more time just chatting at home over a cuppa before bed.