THURSDAY, 12 MAY 2011 A WALK BACK IN TIME

In 1830 the British established a penal station in Port Arthur, a 90 minute drive from Hobart. It became a community for the prisoners as well as the military men and their families who ran the prison. Many of the buildings were destroyed by bush fires, but there are still a few walls standing and a few that have been restored. It was a dreary, cold, rainy day-something to add to the sadness of such a place, where young boys and men from the age of 9 and up were sent to from their homes in Great Britain with no hope of ever returning even after their punishment was served.