Day 10 Port Arthur

Today we drove out to Port Arthur we travelled with Mum & Dad in their hire car.   Mum drove and we arrived out there at about 10:30am  we decided on the Silver ticket which included an audio self-guided tour, a harbour cruise and tour of Isle of the Dead (graveyard for officers, their families and convicts) and lunch.  We start with the cruise and it is very interesting to visit the graveyard they must have really valued burial because there was a baby only 6 hours old buried there.  As we step off the boat onto the island who should be there but Steve & Delores!!! The guide shows us some funny little quirky things on some of the gravestones and then we board the ferry back to Port Arthur.  We walk up to the cafe near the Asylum and for lunch we have a voucher for soup & roll, pie and slice and tea/coffee it is bitterly cold today so the soup and pie/pastie is welcomed.  After lunch we go to pick up our audio headsets and start our self-guided tour it is very informative and an easy way to visit all of the buildings.  Our last stop is the memorial garden and the shell of the Broad Arrow Cafe where Martin Bryant killed 35 people and injured many more on the 28th April 1996 it is a peaceful yet very sad place.

We had spotted a chocolate factory on our way in and decided to visit there on our way back to the resort.  Dad bought 2 packets of ginger slice (he loves ginger) and we bought 3 packets licorice/honeycomb/apple cinnamon.  We had some sample tastes yum.  We also stopped at the blowhole but it's not 'blowing' but the view is nice :)

Mum makes spaghetti bolognaise for dinner yum yum  While watching the news we hear that it has snowed heavily on the route Queenstown to Derwent Bridge exactly where we rode yesterday so glad we got through :P

Mum and I in the penitentiary

Penitentiary from the guard tower

Dave and I on the guard tower

Dad & Dave in the governer's house

Mum and Dad in the Governer's garden

Dave, Mum and I with the hospital (left) and the Pauper's dorm

sitting on the potty in the separate prison

Mum, David and I in the church 'boxes' in the separate prison

Dave and his mate in the separate prison

me in leg irons

Mum and I at the non-functioning blowhole