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Tasmania, also known as lutuwita and trowunna, has been the home of Tasmanian Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years. We acknowledge the determination of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people, who have survived the invasion and dispossession, and continue to maintain vibrant culture, identity and rights. The deep history and connection to Country is profound and it is worth taking the time to understand it if spending time in Tasmania.
Some recommended reading on this topic is as follows:
Lyndall Ryan - The Aboriginal Tasmanians and Tasmanian Aborigines: A History Since 1803
Patsy Cameron - Grease and Ochre
Michael Mansell - TREATY AND STATEHOOD: Aboriginal Self-determination
There are also dedicated spaces for learning more about this culture that can be found in Hobart’s Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Launcestons’ Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and the Furneaux Museum on Flinders Island and there are several tourism operators that specialise in helping visitors understand the Tasmanian Aboriginal history and rich culture. Please contact us for more information.
More modern history is generally centred around the life and experiences of primarily English and Irish convicts, sent to Tasmania in the early 19th century for crimes ranging from stealing a loaf of bread though to murder and rape. Children as young as 14 were also transported, many for petty crimes and boys were housed and educated on Point Puer, a small island off Port Arthur, whilst girls were trained as servants and placed in officer’s houses to work off their crime. If including Port Arthur Historic Site in your itinerary, the Saltwater River Coal Mines is located close by, offers some great narrative on the region’s dark history and is also the location of one our 60 Great Short Walks.
Our convict heritage in Tasmania doesn’t start and end with Port Arthur though. For something off the beaten track, check out Sarah Island, where there’s many a gruesome story to tell. These days, the stories are told with a little more flair for entertainment and is performed in the form of a play in the west coast town of Strahan each evening. There are also well preserved remains of the probation station, Darlington, on Maria Island – and you can also stay overnight as the area now operates as a base for walkers and campers on the island.
In Hobart, the Cascades Female Factory has also now been restored and is a stop on board some of the smaller city tours and hop on, hop off busses. Glimpse into the past, when woman and the young children were transported and to one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.
Rounding out the convict heritage is Brickendon, a farming property established in 1824 and neighbouring Woolmers Estate. Both of these properties join with Port Arthur and the Coal Mines Historic Site, Darlington and the Cascades Female Factory to represent 5 of the 11 UNESCO recognized Australian convict sites on the World Heritage List.
