Beamarr

Port Arthur

We went back to Port Arthur during the day time. A ticket allows you entry on two consecutive days, so we made the most of it. The weather was cold and rainy, but we had the place to ourselves most of the time. It's a wonderful time to visit when it's off season.

Entry into Port Arthur.

The Penitentiary.

The Government Garden.

Windows in the Penitentiary.

I've checked for ghosts.

The Commandant's House.

Blue Willow in the Commandant's House kitchen.

Dead Man's Island.

The Isle of the Dead is a tiny cemetery island

in the harbour of Port Arthur Historic site.

Between 1833 and 1877, it served as the final

resting place for over 1,000 individuals

who died at the penal settlement.

Point Puer.

Point Puer operated from 1834 to 1848 on the Tasman Peninsula,

the first British purpose-built reforming institution for criminal boys.

There was a display about the young convict boys

who lived at Point Puer.

Some of the Point Puer boys.

Some of the boys did well in learning skills.

Others did not do so well.

Fire lit in solitary confinement cells.

A reconstruction of how the cell would have been.

The convicts had to wear heavy, hooded cloth masks,

referred to as beaks or sack-masks,

whenever they left their solitary cells.

This cruel psychological tool was used as part

of the settlement's 'separate and silent" regime.

In the closed cell doors are peep holes with photos

of convicts and information of their crimes.

Looking through the peep hole.

The Guard Tower.

Another view of the Guard Tower.

The Guard Tower was build it 1836

This graffiti was carved into the column

of the Guard Tower in 1863.

Time to warm up and a late lunch of

salt and pepper squid and chips

at the Port Arthur cafe.

Port Arthur Ghost Tour

We had a lovely time on the Port Arthur Ghost Tour. Our guide was a great story teller, and we had a full moon to help guide us around the spooky ruins of Port Arthur. Unfortunately we didn't find any ghosts, but we had a great time looking for them. I didn't use the correct setting on the camera for night photography, and no flash, so the photos are a bit grainy which I think adds to the atmospheric feel for the spooky ghost tour.

The Blue Moon.

It was the second full moon for

the month of May.

The Port Arthur Church.

The candle lit lantern our tour guide used.

Another angle of the Port Arthur Church.

Moonshine through the now cloudy sky.

We stopped inside the Port Arthur

Church to hear how, in 1835 a convict named

Joseph Shuttleworth was murdered with an axe by another convict,

William Riley, as they were digging the buildings foundations.

We came back in daylight.

Another shot of the Port Arthur Church.

Same shot in daylight.

Another look at the tour guides lantern.

A group shot with the tour guide and

some of the people in our group.

Prison hospital ruins in the moon light.

Prison hospital ruin in daylight.

View of the Prison Hospital ruin from the Church.

Another angle of the Prison Hospital in moonshine.

The chimney stack at the Penitentiary precinct.

Chimney stack in daylight.

Outside the Penitentiary.

Listening to another ghost story.

Port Arthur's penitentiary is famously haunted,

with ghost stories dating back to 1870.

Staff have reported being pinned against walls,

chocked by unseen forces, and

hearing doors violently pounded and shaken.

View of the Penitentiary in daylight.

Inside the Penitentiary.

Casting shadows on the wall in the Penitentiary.

More than 1000 people died at Port Arthur during its

47 year history as a penal settlement, and some

people say that the souls of the departed never left.

💀💀💀

Travelling to Port Arthur

We had an early start to the day, the sun was shining at 8.30am as an hour earlier it is still dark, so this was a good time to head off. The day started out lovely and sunny, however it was still quite cool on the last day of Autumn. We arrived at Port Arthur at about 4.30pm after a few pitstops along the way. In plenty of time for our Por Arthur Ghost Tour this evening.