Over the years, since it closed in 1877, Port Arthur has been the subject of much mis-representation. Phrases like "brutal treatment" and "savage punishment" are still commonly used in talking and writing about the penal settlement, and, as a result, visitors have received a distorted view of Port Arthur and the treatment which prisoners received there.
This is not to say that punishment was not severe. It was, but it must be remembered that prisoners sent to the penal settlements were noramlly hardened criminals.
This booklet has been prepared to present a balanced view of Port Arthur and its allied stations on Tasman Peninsula. It is based on original documents of 1830-1877, wherever possible, rather than than the faulty memories of visitors recorded many years later.
Contents:
Preface and Acknowledgement
History of Transportation
Convict System in Van Diemen's Land
Establishment of Port Arthur
The Civil and Military Officers
The Convict's Life
Prisoners' Accommodation
Prisoners' Welfare
Religion at Port Arthur
The Boy Convicts
Coal Mines Station, Plunkett Point
The Probation Stations
Punishment and Escapes
Communications on the Peninsula
Epilogue
