Macquarie Harbor Penal Colony
Coordinates: 42 ° 23 ′ 16.4 ″ S , 145 ° 26 ′ 55 ″ E
The penal colony Macquarie Harbor ( English Macquarie Harbor Penal Station ) was in the 19th century on Van Diemens Land (now Tasmania ). It was to the west on Sarah Island within Macquarie Harbor .
The camp, which housed mostly male prisoners, existed from 1822 to 1833. During its only 11 years of existence, it received the reputation of being one of the harshest conditions for prisoners. Today the camp is part of the UNESCO World Heritage .
history
With the steadily growing number of prisoners arriving in Australia, the search for a location for the felons and prisoners who had re-offended in other Australian penal colonies began. Sarah Island off the Tasmanian coast seemed to be made for this. An escape from the island was considered largely hopeless. Provided the transfer to the Tasmanian mainland had been successful, several hundred kilometers would have had to be covered there through impassable wilderness to the then few settlements in eastern Tasmania. Escape by sea through Hell's Gates , a strait with treacherous currents and several shoals, also seemed as good as impossible. In addition, coal deposits discovered there shortly before could be exploited by the prisoners.
In January 1822, the brig Sophia reached Sarah Island with a delegation of soldiers and 66 male and 8 female prisoners, and the construction of the prison camp began. The few female prisoners were initially housed on the small neighboring island of Grummet Island , but later they were also brought to Sarah Island due to “moral” and “disciplinary” difficulties.
True to the specifications of the then Lieutenant Governor of Tasmania, George Arthur , the prisoners should be used for forced labor , "even if it only consists of opening cavities and filling them up again." If possible, the expenses incurred by the maintenance of the penal colony should go through work of the prisoners are covered, but this never fully succeeded. The prisoners were used to build ships, as the local pine species Lagarostrobos franklinii was ideal for this. After the island's forest cover gradually declined, the nearby mainland along the Gordon River was also cleared. Since the island, and with it the camp, was now permanently exposed to the strong winds of the Roaring Forties , a wall was erected to protect the shipyard. Over time, more capable prisoners were trained to be blacksmiths and ship or boat builders. At times the warehouse, which had a total production of 113 ships, was the largest shipyard in Australia. The original plan to mine existing coal deposits in the region turned out to be impracticable after a few years, as both the coal was of poor quality and there was also a lack of experienced miners.
Due to the poor quality of the soil, only part of the food needed could be grown on site, and they always remained dependent on deliveries by sea. As a result, malnutrition and diarrhea were widespread, and scurvy was common among inmates. In the first few years in particular, the camp was so overcrowded that the prisoners in the barracks could not even lie on their backs, but always had to sleep on one side. As a punishment for disobedience, the convicts were placed in solitary confinement and regularly flogged.
Despite the widespread bad reputation, reports exist that give a less rough picture of the camp. 100 prisoners are said to have been released after two years for good conduct.
The colony's permanent dependence on shipments in connection with the remote location of the island and the establishment of a new penal colony in Port Arthur led to the camp being closed in 1833. The remaining prisoners were gradually transferred to the Port Arthur camp. A total of 1,200 prisoners were kept in the penal colony.
Attempted escape
The vast majority of the more than 180 escape attempts failed. The majority of the inmates died trying to escape. A few inmates managed to escape. In June 1824, a group of inmates - including Matthew Brady - overpowered their overseer, stole a boat and reached the Tasmanian capital, Hobart . Brady was caught again two years later.
In 1829 the ship Cyprus was kidnapped by a group of convicts en route to Macquarie Harbor. Seven escapes reached China , four were identified on the way to England . One was executed and the others brought back to Macquarie Harbor.
In January 1834, the last ship built - the Frederick - was stolen by the ten convicts who were supposed to stay behind to complete the ship. They sailed to Chile , where they went ashore. Six members of the group fled further towards Jamaica and North America , while the remaining four were initially able to live undisturbed. After the change of governor there , however, they were arrested again and taken to Hobart.
The most famous escapee was Alexander Pearce , who even managed to escape twice, killing and eating his co-escapes both times.
Current condition
The ruins of the camp are now specially protected as the Sarah Island Historic Site . They are part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area , which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. The island can be reached from Strahan by ferry or chartered boat.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ German and if it only consists of digging holes and filling them up again
- ↑ a b http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=7608
- ↑ http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/php/BecomingTasmania/ConvictHulks08.pdf
- ↑ http://www.bridica.com/EBchecked/topic/536325/Sarah-Island
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated December 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=7629
