Day 5 (19 Dec 2017) : Port Arthur
This morning, I made pancakes for breakfast. Together with the strawberries we picked yesterday, we had pancakes with whipped creamed and strawberries. It was a much welcomed change after 3 days of sandwiches.
Exploring the coastal landscape at Eaglehawk Neck
Port Arthur Historic Site only opens at 10am. So we decided to head out to Eaglehawk Neck to check out the Blowhole, Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen. Both are supposed to be must sees of the Tasman Peninsula.
It was a 20mins drive from Port Arthur’s Villa to the Devil’s Kitchen carpark. We pass the Tasman Arch first and decided to stop make our first stop there. Tasmans Arch is a tall natural bridge in the sea cliffs and Devils Kitchen is a deep trench without an arch that has also been carved out by the Tasman Sea.
Both attractions are near each other and each can be viewed from a lookout minutes from their respective carparks.
We were actually quite disappointed with Devil’s Kitchen. We couldn’t figure out what we were suppose to see! Then DS1 took out this mobile phone and consulted his reliable “G” secretary. So it seems that this feature gets its name from the cauldron of foaming fury, normally seen at water level from the viewing platform, where the swells of the ocean crash into the base of the tall cliff. Unfortunately it seems that most days when the sea is calm, this cannot be observed. So we were there when it was too calm to see anything and so we had to use our imagination!
We left Devil’s Kitchen and went to the Blowhole. Depending on the ocean swell, the Blowhole is also supposed to be an awesome sight. Unfortunately I think we came on a wrong day. This Blowhole has since become a joke in our family. We went to Bicheno a few days later and all of us agreed that the Bicheno Blowhole was much better.
Visit to Port Arthur Historic Site
Disappointed with our morning, we went back to Port Arthur Villa to park our car and walked to the back entrance of Port Arthur Historic Site. Port Arthur Villa provided us with key to the back gate of Port Arthur Historic Site, so that we do not need to drive a big round to the main entrance of the site. It can be difficult to find a parking lot at the main entrance, so being able to enter through the back entrance was a plus. The walk from Port Arthur Villa to this entrance was just a few minutes. But from this gate it was at least a 10mins walk to the main entrance and visitor center.
We headed first to the visitors’ center to collect our pre-booked tickets and also our tickets for the Ghost Tour that evening. Adult ticket is A$39, Child ticket is A$17 and Family ticket is A$99. The Ghost tour cost A$26.50 per pax.
As we were too late for the free included walking introductory tour at 10.30am, we booked ourselves on the 12.30pm tour. In the meantime, we went on the cruise. The cruise is actually a means to transport those taking the additional Isles of the Dead Cemetery tour to the island, but those not going on the tour can just take the cruise to sightsee too. It was really nothing much, but does give you a nice view of Port Arthur from the water.
After the short cruise, we decided to explore the Government Gardens. These gardens were provided the wives and children of the free people at Port Arthur a place to wander and relax away from the prisons during its time. The garden was pretty.
After that we decided to go for a quick early lunch as the tour will take 40mins. The restaurants at Port Arthur was still under renovation and only the cafeteria was open. The cafeteria had both a quick bite casual counter as well as a hot food counter. We decided to go for the hot food.
I decided to have the kids nuggets and chips (A$7). It was just the right portion for me. The chips serving was very generous. DS1 & 2 decided to have the fish and chips (A$16.90). DH had a small ham & pineapple pizza (A$14.90) and DD had the soup & roll (A$10). Food was ok. It was the only place for lunch when we were there.
There was a big group for the 12.30pm walking tour so we were split into 2 groups. We were brought to the Penitentiary, the Hospital and told stories and history of Port Arthur. It was informative and gave us a good idea of what we were seeing.
After the tour, we wondered around on our own to explore the compound in greater detail while my parents decided to take a break in the cafeteria. We went to the Separate Prison which was used to punish prisons who committed offense by isolating them in absolute solitude. It was unbelievable to see how they are allowed outdoors in separate small compound, attend church in separate individual cubicles etc. it was sheer mental torture, worse than physical torture!
Next to the Separate Prison was a small museum showcasing life in Port Arthur when it was a convict settlement. It was very informative.
The Commander’s House was such a stark contrast to the prison. But I suppose the Commander was “king” of Port Arthur at that time.
After we were done, we walked back to Port Arthur Villas through the back gate. Along the way, we came to the Convict Church. It was a non-consecrated church and so had served all the different Christian denominations.
Overall, we enjoyed our visit to Port Arthur. It was very interesting and informative. Definitely a must visit when visiting Tasmania.
Checking out Remarkable Cave
The property manager had told DH about Remarkable Cave, which was just a short drive up the road that we were at, during one of their conversations. So DH wanted to check it out. DS1 and DD wanted to laze in the apartment to play the Nintendo Switch that they brought on this trip. So only DH, DS2 and I set out to check out this cave.
We found it in no time. There were roads signs so we didn’t even need to use our GPS. From the carpark we needed to walk a short distance and down some steps to the bottom to see the cave. It was worth it! Looking through, beyond the cave we can see the cliff and sea. It was beautiful. If you use a little imagination, we will also notice that the cave is almost in the shape of Tasmania!
After the photo stop. We drove back to Port Arthur Villa, stopping along the way to take some photos of the sea gulls on the beach.
Dinner @ Port Arthur Villas
We decided to cook ourselves simple dinner that evening as we were going for the Ghost Tour. We had brought instant noodles with us and decided to have abalone instant noodles with the abalone we bought from TAS Live Abalone. No problem bringing instant noodles from Singapore so long as you declare it at the customs. In fact, they did not ask further questions and just let us through.
The Property Manager also came by with a pleasant surprise treat for us – homemade strawberry custard tarts! They were delicious! We had bought salted caramel magnum ice- cream from the convenience store, so that was our dessert too!
Port Arthur Ghost Tour
After dinner, we decided to drive to the main entrance of Port Arthur Historic Site instead of walking there as the meeting point was at the entrance and we did not fancy walking back to our apartment is the dark. By the time we arrived, the carpark was relatively empty as day visitors had left. We parked very close to the entrance.
This walking tour starts after sunset and last about 90mins. You walk in the dark with a few in the group holding lanterns to light the path. My parents did not join us on this tour. It was more a fun kind of scary tour for our kids. There were several tours per night. Ours was at 9.15pm and we were supposed to be there at least 15 mins earlier.
The Ghost Tour was interesting and at one stage was a little frightening. Don’t expect Universal Studios Halloween Night kind of scary. For this tour, we were brought to the Church, inside the Parson’s house, the Junior Doctor’s house, the Senior Doctor’a house and the Separate Prison. It was more like the guide telling stories of ghost sightings in these various locations. Our guide was an excellent story teller and that was what created the atmosphere for the whole tour.
The only part of Port Arthur that we saw which we were not able to see during the day was the basement of the Senior Doctor’s house.
I had thought the tour was ok only. Somehow I was expecting to see more “haunted” places. But our kids enjoyed it. So the tour was a fun end to their day at Port Arthur Historic Site.
Next up : Day 6 – Port Arthur to Bicheno