One of the common questions we receive at the Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre from our visitors is “What are the must-do things in Hobart?” My answer to visitors is quite straight forward and once I gauge that history is important to them, I suggest the Cascades Female Factory Historic Site.
Cascades Female Factory Historic Site (Credit: Cascades Female Factory Historic Site
The Cascades Female Factory Historic Site is nestled at the base of Kunanyi/Mt Wellington, in South Hobart, Tasmania which meant that the female convicts did not have too much of a chance to escape. I visited the Female Factory for the first time right after they re-opened in late March 2022 (it was closed for almost 2 years for renovations). The new interpretation centre adds a modernized look to the historic site.
The Cascades Female Factory voices the stories of women through multiple ways. You learn about the dispossession, mistreatment and forced migration of convict women and girls, and their contribution to colonisation throughout the history of colonial Australia to the present day.
Their tour guides are highly knowledgeable and full of interesting but heart-breaking facts of real women and girls who were ‘resident there’ for prolonged periods. During my visit, most of the tour participants were very emotional at the end of the ‘Proud and the Punished Tour’, which is a dramatic performance of a real story of Sarah Mason and all the hardship she went through. The performance made everyone wonder whether she deserved the kind of hardship for the crime she committed.
The Cascades Female Factory is open 7 days a week, offering multiple tours daily including self-guided audio tours. You can use your own mobile device and soak in the history when you listen to the stories. With the newly built interpretation centre, the Cascades Female Factory truly stands gloriously at the base of Mount Wellington adding more meaning to all these stories. Their gift shop has a huge collection of books about the convict history of Tasmania.
You can get to the Female Factory from the Hobart CBD by walking along the Hobart Rivulet (keep an eye out for the resident platypus). You can also visit the Cascade Brewery to have a chilled beer and catch up with your friends or contemplate what life must have been like for those ‘residents’ at the Female Factory.
Make sure to pre-book your tickets to the Cascades Female Factory before you go to get the most seamless experience. Talk to one of our friendly staff at Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre to book your tour!
Rashini Perera – Travel Advisor
Tasmanian Travel & Information Centre
