Built by Convicts

 

My home state is one of the most beautiful places in the world. 

Lonely Planet just named Tasmania #4 of the world's top ten regions to visit in 2015. Calling Tassie "wild and dramatic, cultured and quirky." 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet Tasmania is also home to one of the harshest environments in the world - the remote south west wilderness. It was to this island state that over 70,000 convicts were transported in the 1800's. Sentenced to 7, 14 or 21 years for stealing a piece of fabric or a loaf of bread or some other trivial offence. Nowadays they just get a finger wagged at them. On this hostile island the convicts endured, survived and some even thrived. UNESCO lists Australian Convict Sites on its world heritage cultural listings, 5 of the11 sites are in Tasmania:

1. Port Arthur Historic Site
2. Brickendon and Woolmer's Estates
3. Darlington Probation Station (on Maria Island)
4. Coal Mines Historic Site
5. Cascades Female Factory.

 

Up until this week I had never been to the Cascades Female Factory. That's not entirely my fault. For most of the 20 years I lived in Tasmania the site was a paddock full of wallaby poop. Not an exciting place to visit. Also it's in South Hobart - it's cold and wet up there.

 

 

 

Sometime within the last 10 years some enterprising sole has developed the site and now it's a popular tourist attraction.

Rather than just visit the site we signed up for Louisa's Walk. Louisa's Walk is a strolling theatre moving from Cascade Gardens to the Female Factory and back - like a progressive dinner, only with no food.  Wear your walking shoes, and participate when asked.  It's a lot of fun.

 

 

On our tour Karissa played Louisa. A young widowed mother of 3 boys who was sentenced to 7 years in the colonies for stealing a loaf of bread to feed her family. She was not allowed to take her boys with her as the oldest was 14 and therefore able to support the younger two.

Jon played all the other roles...the magistrate, a ship's captain, the doctor, the head of the factory, and a few others.

 

 

 

Our tour into convict history started at the Cascade Gardens next to Cascade Brewery - the beer we drink here. (Sorry it's a slogan from I don't know when. I'm not even sure it was a Cascade slogan). Cascade is the oldest brewery in Australia. Tasmanians like their beer.

 

 

After Louisa was convicted and sentenced to transportation she boarded the Rajah for the many months long journey out to Van Diemans Land. The Quakers gave each woman fabric and cotton to keep them busy. Anything they made they could keep. Louisa made a quilt telling her life story to date. It includes squares with her deceased husbands name and the names of her three sons.

 

 

On arrival in Hobart Town Louisa was sent to the Female Factory. She was inspected and classified. Female convicts were classified as either criminals, xxxx or assignables.  I've forgotten the middle classification. Oops.

 

 

 

 

Inside the factory we heard many stories from Louisa's time there - picking oakum, seeking solace in the chapel, doing the laundry in cold cold water.  She was chosen by a man for work outside the factory only to be sent back to the factory when she became pregnant. After the baby was weaned (two weeks after birth) Louisa was sent back into the factory. Records show she was finally chosen/purchased by a gentleman who would eventually become her husband. Once she was married there are no further official records until her death certificate. She in her 70's when she died, quite old for the time.

 

 

There are no buildings at the factory, the yards are marked to indicate where structures had been, and there is a replica of a dark cell. I don't think we would have enjoyed the factory or learned anywhere near as much if we hadn't done Lousia's walk.  The tour was amazing. Jo, Irene and I both got caught up in the story, we laughed a lot. It lasted about 2 hours and was $35.00 each. Well worth every penny. 

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