Macquarie Harbour Penal Station facts for kids
Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour
|
|
| Location | Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°23′16″S 145°26′55″E / 42.387889°S 145.448611°E |
| Status | Abandoned |
| Security class | Penal Colony |
| Opened | 1822 |
| Closed | 1833 |
| Managed by | British Government |
| Governor | Lt-Governor William Sorell (1822-24) Lt-governor George Arthur (1824-33) |
The Macquarie Harbour Penal Station was a historic British prison settlement. It was located on Sarah Island in Tasmania, Australia. This settlement operated from 1822 to 1833.
It was a place where male convicts were sent. A small number of women were kept on a nearby island. During its 11 years, this prison became known as one of the toughest places for convicts in Australia. Today, Sarah Island is an important historical site. It is managed by the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service.
Contents
Why the Prison Was Built
The Macquarie Harbour Penal Station was created as a remote place of punishment. It was for convicts who had committed new crimes or tried to escape from other prisons. Its isolated location made it perfect for this purpose.
The prison was surrounded by a wide river and wild mountains. It was also far from other settled areas. The only way to reach it by sea was through a dangerous narrow channel. This channel was known as Hells Gates.
Strong ocean currents caused many ships to crash in this channel. Some convicts died before even reaching the prison. A surveyor who mapped Sarah Island believed escaping from there was "almost impossible." A smaller island nearby, Grummet Island, was used for solitary confinement.
Building the Settlement
Lieutenant-Governor William Sorell wanted the new prison to be useful and pay for itself. He hoped it could make money for the British government. Soon after the convicts arrived, the island was cleared of trees.
However, this exposed the settlement to strong winds. So, a wall made from Huon Pine trees had to be built for shelter. Convicts spent many hours cutting timber, often standing in water up to their necks. They prepared the wood to be floated down the river.
Punishments like lashings were common. These were given by other convicts. If a lashing was not hard enough, the convict giving it would also be punished. Sometimes, the lashings were so severe they could cause death. Doctors could stop a lashing if a convict was in danger. It would restart once the convict was well enough.
Later, a Scottish shipbuilder named David Hoy came to the island. He had heard about the special qualities of Huon Pine for building ships. He made a deal with the convicts. They received rum, tobacco, and better sleeping places if they cooperated. For a short time, this became the biggest shipbuilding operation in the Australian colonies. Convicts, often chained, cut down Huon pine trees and floated the logs down the river.
Daily Life and Challenges
Sarah Island could not grow its own food. This meant convicts often suffered from poor nutrition. Diseases like dysentery and scurvy were common. Supplies had to be brought in by sea.
Living conditions were very difficult, especially in the early years. The prison barracks were so crowded that convicts could not even sleep on their backs. Solitary confinement and regular floggings were common punishments. For example, over 9,000 lashings were given in 1823 alone.
The prison was finally closed in late 1833. Most of the remaining convicts were then moved to Port Arthur.
Escape Attempts
Even though the island was very isolated, many convicts tried to escape. Bushranger Matthew Brady was part of a group that successfully escaped in 1824. They tied up their overseer and took a boat to Hobart.
James Goodwin was pardoned after his escape in 1828. He was later hired to map the wilderness he had traveled through. Sarah Island's most famous escapee was Alexander Pearce. He managed to get away twice.
When the prison was closing, ten convicts were allowed to stay to finish building a ship. Once it was ready, they sailed it down the river. They put everyone else ashore and sailed the ship all the way to Chile. This event is known as the Frederick escape.
Sarah Island Today
After the prison closed, the island was used for logging Huon pine. The loggers called it Settlement Island. However, it has since gone back to its original name, Sarah Island.
The old prison ruins can still be seen today. They are part of the Sarah Island Historic Site. This site is also part of the larger Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The ruins are not as well preserved as those at Port Arthur. You can visit the island by taking ferries and boats from the town of Strahan.
In Books and Plays
Sarah Island has often been shown in Australian books and plays. It usually represents the very harsh side of the British convict system.
Some notable books include:
- The Sarah Island Conspiracies - Being an account of twelve voyages to Macquarie Harbour and Sarah Island by Richard Davey. This book helps us understand the island's history and recent discoveries.
In Strahan, a play called The Ship that Never Was is performed. It is Australia's longest-running play. Written by Tasmanian author Richard Davey, it tells the story of the Frederick escape. This was the last escape from the island.
Films like The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce and Van Diemen's Land are about one of the well-known escapees.
Old photographs of the island show the ruins of the buildings, for example, from 1929.
Known Escapees
- Mordecai Cohen, escaped in April 1823
- George Hammersley and James Woodward, escaped on 4 May 1824
- John Graham, John Germanston, and John McCarthy, escaped on 20 July 1825
- Matthew Brady
- Alexander Pearce
- Ten convicts, including former whaler James Porter, in the Frederick escape
On September 3, 1830, five men escaped: Richard Hutchinson, William Coventry, Patrick Fagan, Mathew Macavoy, and Broughton. After more than thirty days, the two survivors gave themselves up at Macguire's Marsh near Osterley.
Gallery
-
Part of Sarah Island, showing ruins of the "new penitentiary"
-
Ruins of the large domed oven in the bakehouse on Sarah Island.
-
Remains of the solitary cells, which were completely dark inside and barely large enough to lie down in.
