Convict tourism for Australia

UNESCO recognition paves the way for convictourism

Tasmania’s compelling and extraordinary convict heritage has been officially recognised by UNESCO. It was announced that 11 Australian convict sites, five of which are located in the southernmost state of Tasmania, are to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
 

The Tasmanian sites are Port Arthur and the Coal Mines Historic Site on the Tasman Peninsula; the Cascades Female Factory in South Hobart; Darlington Probation Station on Maria Island; and Woolmers and Brickendon Estates near Longford. The other six sites are in New South Wales, Western Australia and Norfolk Island.

Thousands of penal sites were established in Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries.  They housed tens of thousands of men, women and children condemned by British justice, often for petty crimes such as stealing a loaf of bread, to transportation to the convict colonies. Each of the sites had a specific purpose, in terms both of punitive imprisonment and of rehabilitation through forced labour to help build the colony. The properties that now form part of the World Heritage List present the best surviving examples of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts.

The close proximity of the convict sites in south and eastern Tasmania and the ease of access to some of the best-kept and most complete records of convict history anywhere in the world today give Tasmania an opportunity to develop its ‘Convictourism’ product.  Visitors to Tasmania, especially those from the UK and Ireland, many of whom have close links to the convict history, will be able to follow the convict trail and trace their ancestors back in time.  

Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula is perhaps Australia’s most famous convict site. It operated as a penal station for secondary offenders until 1877, by which time it had been developed into a major industrial complex and had turned from flogging, using the dreaded ‘Cat O’ Nine tails’ to a form of psychological punishment based on the system used at Pentonville Prison in London.  Port Arthur’s 60 or so buildings and picturesque landscape, joined to the mainland by Eaglehawk Neck, offer visitors a challenging mix of both beauty and horror and have helped the site become one of Tasmania’s most popular tourist attractions. Port Arthur is probably the best known site of the 11 included in the listing, but Darlington on Maria Island – today a ‘Noah’s Ark’ for endangered species – predates Port Arthur.  

 “The listing is great news for our tourism industry, and will allow us the opportunity to build an additional dimension to our visitors’ experiences,” said Felicia Mariani, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Tasmania.

 “When you ask people what comes to mind when they think of Tasmania, the first thing they usually mention is our wilderness. This is not surprising given that over half of our state is ancient World Heritage Wilderness, national parks and forest and marine reserves. And, given our history and rich colonial heritage, it is fitting that our State has now received recognition for these five important convict heritage sites. It can only add further to our reputation as a world-class destination.”

The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee was held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Culture from Brazil, João Luiz da Silva Ferreira. The meeting opened on 25 July and continued through to 3 August. A total of 39 sites have been considered for inscription on the World Heritage List.

Valere Tjolle

Valere Tjolle is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suitewww.travelmole.com/stories/1143624.php