March 4 – Attacked by a Rosella Bird

On our second day on Tasmania, we are going to the site of the former penal colony of Port Arthur and will also be visiting the “Unzoo.”

Unfortunately, Marg was feeling under the weather this morning and decide to stay close the hotel until she felt better.  But by mid-morning she was feeling better, so she spent the day relaxing and taking in the sights around the hotel.  She had a seafood lunch, so you know that she made a full recovery.

Our first visit was to the Tasmanian National Park, where we were treated to some wonderful views of the shoreline.  It remined me of the views along the Great Ocean Drive, that we took a couple of days ago.

Soon after that we arrived at the Unzoo. The Unzoo is a reversal of the traditional concept of a zoo.  Instead of exhibiting animals in traditional enclosures for the benefit of humans, an Unzoo allows us to enter into the animal’s natural habitats in which cages or barriers are removed or concealed and wild, as well as resident animals, are encouraged to interact with the environment.

Our first encounter was with a Wallaby and its Joey.  As we walked through a forested area, the mother wallaby and its baby came jumping passed us.  The Joey has only recently left its mother’s pouch.  They were not scared and actually seemed annoyed that we were in its home.

Next, we entered a grassy meadow that had at least a dozen kangaroos.  Our guide gave us food pellets that we used to feed these kangaroos. They also were not scared of humans and seemed eager to feed out of our hand and have their back scratched.

Then, we went to see a Tasmanian Devil.  Because it is very dangerous, they reside in their own enclosure and are not allowed to roam with the other animals.  When the devil was being fed, you could see the massive jaws and sharp teeth.  It looked nothing like the Tasmanian Devil on Looney Tunes.

Our final destination in the Unzoo, was the wild bird sanctuary.  Our guide told us that the birds were free to fly away, but have stayed knowing that they will be fed.  One of the Rosella birds landed on my head and stayed there for a minute.  Its claws were very sharp and it dug into my scalp.

After leaving the Unzoo. we travelled to the old Port Arthur penal colony. Port Arthur is a small town and former prison on the Tasman Peninsula. The site forms part of the Australian Convict Sites, a World Heritage property consisting of 11 remnant sites originally built by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries on the Australian coast. 

Until 1853, it was the destination for the worst of the convicted British criminals.  Repeat offenders also earned a trip to Tasmania. We were told that some of the prisoners were as young as nine years old.

Each prisoner was required to attend church.  Our guide told us that the church was never consecrated, so that Catholics and Anglicans could attend the same church.

There is also a well maintained cottage, used to house senior officials of the prison.

The Separate Prison System signaled a shift from physical punishment to psychological punishment. The corporal punishment, such as whippings, used in other penal stations was thought to only serve to harden criminals. Here food was used to reward well-behaved prisoners and as punishment for troublemakers. As a reward, a prisoner could receive larger amounts of food or even luxury items such as tea, sugar, and tobacco. As punishment, the prisoners would receive the bare minimum of bread and water.

We were told that a system of punishment, known as the "Silent System" was also implemented in the prison. Here, prisoners were hooded and made to stay silent; to allow time for the prisoner to reflect upon the actions which had brought him there. Many of the prisoners in the Separate Prison developed mental illness from the lack of light and sound. This was an unintended outcome, although the asylum was built right next to the Separate Prison.

Port Arthur had some of the strictest security measures of the British penal system.  There was only one way off the Tasman Peninsula, a narrow strip of land called Eagle’s Neck.  Across this small land bridge the authorities had placed attack dogs, making it almost impossible to escape unharmed.  A heck of way to start a country.

Along the way back to the hotel we passed a village named Doo Town. Each cottage had a name with "Doo" in it. One was "Doo Drop In" and another was "Love Me Doo".

For dinner we went to a restaurant called the Phat Fish, with two other couples from western Canada.  The seafood was good and the company even better.