63 and free

We decided to visit Port Arthur, which is widely known for two reasons: firstly, it was a very infamous prison from 1830 – 1877, and secondly, it was the site of a horrific massacre on April 28-29th, 1996, when a mentally disturbed young man murdered 35 people and injured 19 others with an automatic weapon (you may recall this). Australia quickly banned all semi and fully automatic weapons. The gunman is now serving 35 life sentences.

The prison itself is quite something to visit, even though so little is left. Bushfires in 1895 and 1898 destroyed much of what wasn’t already taken down.

It was fascinating to hear the stories of some of the unbreakable convicts and their escape attempts against overwhelming odds, and the varying beliefs of the 10 commandants who served.

The cafe where many people were killed in 1996 is now a memorial with a reflecting pond:

And to top it off, we forgot TWO bottles of lovely wine that we picked out at a wine tasting at Bangor vineyards! Left them back in the cottage we rented at a farm! 😡😡😡