Tribute to the dead infants of female convicts in Van Diemen's Land.

They never had names. 

The official government term was ‘Departures and Arrivals’ and, No, they were not referring to ships or planes. These were the babies born to convict women at the Van Diemen’s Land female factory. Out of 1200 babies born at the Female Factory in South Hobart. Between 1829 and 1877 approximately 900 babies died with no record being kept of the mother or child. Ninety departed from the Female Factory (prison) in George Town, Tasmania. All buried unceremoniously in unmarked graves.

In the early 2000s artist, Christina Henri put out a request for the women of Tasmania to sew calico bonnets for these little forgotten souls. The result was an overwhelming number of over 2000 Christening bonnets being made and in 2004 the display of 900 bonnets in the shape of a cross was presented at the site of the Hobart Female Factory.

Tiny dancers, wearing bonnets swayed to the sound of Brahms Lullaby while rose petals were scattered over the display. 

Ref and Pics: from permanent display in the Watch House in George Town, Tasmania.

Windmills - Callington Mill - Harnessing the Power of the Wind

Callington Mill in Oatlands (Tasmania) is a working Georgian windmill and the only operating flour mill of its type in the Southern Hemisphere.
It was built in 1837 in the style of a Lincolnshire tower mill, and consists of a stone tower with a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the four sails into the wind.

After falling into disrepair, the mill was fully restored and re-opened in 2010. Today it is the only working example of its type in the southern hemisphere.

The grain is ground in the traditional fashion using millstones. These are powered by the wind which turns the massive blades on the windmill. (The attached pic of a millstone is from Woolmers and not Oatlands.)

 Local farmers grow wheat, spelt and rye, which is harvested in January and February each year. The quality flour produced by the mill is sold to bakeries, restaurants and the public to create products with a unique provenance.

Wind Power, as demonstrated here, dates back centuries, but with the demand for clean energy, wind power is again important to us. Tasmania, being in the band of the Roaring Forties, is an ideal place for wind farms and generation of power from the wind.

Earlier today I published a short story e-book for children - Grandma's Windmills which introduces them to three forms of wind power, including the flour mill.

DARK TOURISM - Part 3 - Tasmania’s trauma sites

Port Arthur and Sarah Island – spanning the spectrum of light to dark

 

Australia’s traumatic heritage, though pale in comparison with that of Rwanda or Cambodia, cannot be wiped from the history books. Over the past two centuries, perceptions of convict trauma included periods of shame, rejection, ignorance and acceptance. Port Arthur and Sarah Island are two of Tasmania’s best known sites of convict confinement and these have been conserved as part of Australia’s rich heritage, (sadly Australia fails to show equal respect for its ancient Aboriginal trauma history).  Both of these trauma sites rate on the scale of Dark Tourism but present at varying points on the scale.

Port Arthur

 

After bushfires devastated Port Arthur in 1895 and 1897, the structures which remained standing were cleaned, conserved and prettied-up and today Port Arthur is the most visited convict site in Tasmania. It attracts 300,000 visitors a year who come for various reasons – to appreciate the convict history of Van Diemen’s Land and learn more of the history of colonization. Others visit Port Arthur merely to enjoy a family outing.

Very little evidence of the trauma of incarceration is transmitted from the buildings gracing the manicured gardens. The whitewashed prison walls have successful erased the memories of the past and the void which once was the main prisoner accommodation, with its metal scaffolded walkway, provides no inkling of past trauma.

The decaying Gothic ruins of Port Arthur, in its ambient surroundings, had once been a site of ‘incarceration, domination and subjugation, a place of cruelty, depravity, brutality and desperation’ for 12,000 convicts. With the passage of time and squeaky-clean conservation, ‘the dark past which occurred within the prison has been almost completely obliterated to make way for a tourist asset’.

 

Yet to step aboard the local tourist vessel and motor across the bay to the Isle of the Dead is like sliding down the ladder of thanotourism. Stepping ashore and being confronted by the mounds and gravestones of 1769 prisoners, artisans and guards who were buried here, one senses mortality and authenticity. The site is overgrown and little obvious conservation has been done. In order to visit the Isle of the Dead visitors must make a conscious effort by purchasing a ticket. These aspects of the Port Arthur site plus the following item make up the ‘emotional dichotomy of Port Arthur’.

 

Sadly, today, Port Arthur carries a more recent and darker scar. It is the site of the shooting massacre in 1996 when 35 people were killed and 23 wounded. And whether we like it or not, this event is now permanently etched into Tasmania’s history. For some time after the event, the effects of the trauma were acute and ‘the Port Arthur Historic Site shifted from being Tasmania’s top tourist attraction to a place to be avoided’. 

 

But eighteen years after this event, with the help of time and conservation, the trauma has been shifted down a notch. The walls of the Broad Arrow Café have been preserved and a Huon Pine cross offers a place for prayers alongside a pool of remembrance. Today, few people would visit Port Arthur specifically to see the memorial to those who died, however, there are still staff members working there who witnessed the atrocity, and there are thousands of people indirectly connected with the six hundred visitors and numerous emergency service personnel who were at the site on that fateful day. The need to conserve this site is essential.

Sarah Island – Convict settlement - Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania

 

In contrast to Port Arthur, there was little to conserve on Sarah Island after the settlement was abandoned, and today all that remains are a few crumbling walls and piles of hand-made bricks and rubble, now overgrown with grass and moss. Historically, Sarah Island or Settlement Island was the darkest of the Tasmanian penal settlements – a Hell on Earth for the prisoners sent there. Not only were the punishments sadistic, but the conditions the men endured were deplorable.

 

So why visit the old trauma site? Perhaps in search of personal convict connections or to experience the infamous site made famous by Marcus Clarke’s classic Australian novel, For the Term of his Natural Life. I would argue, however, that most visitors do not go specifically to visit Sarah Island but that their attendance is an obligatory component as part of the cruise on Macquarie Harbour to the lower reaches of the Gordon River. With only 45 minute ashore and a guided walk over the main settlement area, I doubt few tourist come away with a sense of the deprivation and trauma which the convicts suffered. While the guide was talking, I noted that few visitors stopped to read the sign:

           Flagellation: In 1823 under Commander Cuthbertson – who according to one account was ‘a sadistic bully with peculiar qualities’ 9,100 lashes were given with the ‘Macquarie Harbour Cat’, which was heavier than that used by the army or navy. 

Close by, the cyclone wire around the top of the solitary confinement cells quickly dispelled thoughts of heritage (for me), and if that was not sufficient, a short role-play presentation, in which one visitor was designated to be Matthew Brady – the Gentleman Bushranger – was delivered in a jocular vein trivialising both history and character. Nevertheless, most visitors enjoyed the entertainment.

 

Erica Robb commented that, ‘Sites elicit different responses – [and the] experience is not uniform but subjective’.  My personal reason for visiting Sarah Island was in an attempt to embrace the atmosphere of the island and, not being satisfied with the sanitized superficial presentation, I repeated the trip the following day and spent time investigating a little used track which led to the far end of the island. Here, through the undergrowth, I was able to glimpse Grummet (Small) Island, feel the blast of the wind and imagine the trauma of the men, shackled and freezing in sodden clothing trying to survive on that isolated outcrop of rock. 

 

No doubt, some visitors (like me) go to trauma sites in an attempt to recapture the scene but come away disappointed because promoters sanitize the past by presenting it as a form of entertainment. ‘Where heritage is involved, collective amnesia is common’.  I think this would apply to most tourists visiting Sarah Island.

In conclusion, we conserve places of trauma for various reasons – to preserve heritage, to memorialize events, to salve the political conscience or for financial gain. From the sites examined, it is evident that calculated and ‘informed’ decisions are made by government organisation and museum curators. The results can be confrontational or appear trivial.

 

 

 

It has been said that ‘tourism and heritage are complex human phenomena’ producing a complex multi-layered dialogue, and the reason tourists visit places of trauma is equally variable. For some it is a pilgrimage to a site of remembrance, or it may be an attempt to reach back to recapture the lives and times of predecessors.

 

At some stage in each of our lives we are all touched by trauma, but by sharing and conserving our experiences we are able to acknowledge the loss, recognise the past and move forward, while permitting the dark memories to slide and eventually pale into insignificance within the grey mists of time.

*  *   *

 

References available – pics by author (apart from flagellation)

Launceston, Tasmania - City Park

The ornate cast iron fountain was presented to the city in 1887 by the children of Launceston (Tasmania) on the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The land was the originally part of the first Government Farm where cattle and sheep were raised to feed the new colony.

In 1838 the Horticultural Society leased a portion to establish gardens with plants and trees from the Royal Society in England. It was intended as a promenade and pleasure ground for the people of Launceston. Today it the venue for musical events, carols, and Festival - one of the best food and wine festivals in Australia.

The John Hart Conservatory was built in 1891 for the International Exhibition in Launceston which attracted a quarter of a million people to the town of only 18,000 inhabitants. Entering the conservatory is like stepping back into the Victorian era.

Since settlement in the early 1800s, Launceston’s City Park (Tasmania) has been a home to a variety of wild or endangered animals, including the thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger – now extinct) and from the late 1800s to 1979, a troop of Rhesus monkeys.

When the last monkey died, 10 Japanese macaque monkeys arrived from Japan. This exhibition, with water features and glass enclosure, was a gift from the Japanese city of Ikeda – Launceston’s sister city. Japanese macaques are also known as Snow Monkeys.

Festival of Golden Words to remember the life of RICHARD CARLTON

The writers festival set for March in northern Tasmania, will remember RICHARD CARLTON the veteran TV journalist who died on assignment while covering the BEACONSFIELD mine rescue in 2006.

Last week saw the launch of the Festival of Golden Words, a writers’ event to be held annually at the historic gold mining town of Beaconsfield in northern Tasmania. It will feature 70 well-known authors from around Australia including Nick Earls, Steve Bisley, Maggie Beer and Dr Philip Nitschke.
The event will also host the inaugural Richard Carleton address as a tribute to the journalist who died while reporting the mine disaster in 2006. Richard’s family will be present for the lecture.

Pic:Officially launching the event was Tasmania’s Premier, Lara Giddings, seen here with Mayor of the West Tamar Region, Barry Easther, and the Convenor of the Festival, Stephen Dando-Collins and his wife, Louise.
Pic 2: The historic mine with the latter-day shaft in the background. The mine is now closed but attracts tourists to its museum.

Musselroe Wind Farm ready for lift off

Yesterday I had a tour of the Musselroe Wind farm at Cape Portland in NE Tasmania. Lying just south of the 40th parallel, the site is ideal to harness the Roaring Forties.
With only 6 weeks to being commissioned in June 2013, all 56 towers are in now place and virtually ready to go. Each tower, including the bus-sized Nacelle on top, is 82m high plus the blades which are 44 meters each in length.

The blades do not catch the wind as do the vanes of older windmills, but they are lifted by the wind in a similar fashion to the lift on aircraft wings – hence their shape with a leading edge. The three blades are hollow, made of fibreglass and carbon fibre and weight 7 tonnes each. They were made in Italy and China. Each turbine generates 3 mw of power. The total farm generating capacity will be 168 mw.

For inspections and maintenance, the engineers must have access to the Nacelle at the top. Accessing it is by means of an elevator which takes 8 minutes. Alternatively there is a rather long ladder – held on by magnets. We were told it takes 6.5 minutes to climb the 80m ladder if you are fit.

ONE WAY TICKET - a short story

ONE WAY TICKET by Margaret Muir

Edith Selby smiled, as she touched the faces in the photograph album. Tiny mouths, half hidden behind clouds of pink fairy floss, smiled back at her.
Claire’s cup rattled, when she placed it on the saucer.
“Do be careful, dear,” Edith said.
“I’m trying, Gran, but it’s not easy.” She sighed. “I wish Steve were here.”
Edith closed the album.
“You know I don’t like a fuss, dear. Goodbyes are such silly things. Whenever your granddad and I went anywhere, we always liked to slip away quietly without telling anyone.”
Claire sniffed. “But I don’t want you to go.”
“I’m sorry, dear, my mind is made up. And I couldn’t let that nice young man down who make all the arrangements.”
“You could if you wanted,” said Claire adamantly, getting to her feet. “And besides, that nice young man is old enough to be my father.”
“Well, dear, when you get to my age, they all look young.”
Edith sipped her tea.
“You and Steve have been so good to me,” she said. “Letting me live here for the past six months. But the children are growing up so quickly and …..”
“And they love you,” said Claire.
“And I love them too,” sighed Edith. “But its time for me to go - and to be quite honest I will not miss the hot summers.”
Claire shook her head. “Oh, Gran!”
“Look, dear, you know my reasons. Maybe if your granddad was alive, things would be different.”
The phone rand, interrupting them.
Claire answered it.
“Hello! – No, she won’t change her mind.” She handed the phone to her grandmother. “It’s Mum,” she said.
Edith sat down, smiling into the telephone.
“Jennifer, how nice of you to ring again. No, don’t worry. Everything will be fine – that nice young man has assured me there will not be any problems.”
She listened.
“Not at all, dear, in fact I am getting quite excited. Remember to give my love to the boys.” She took a deep breath. “Goodbye dear. Goodbye.”
She held the received to her ear until the line went dead.
It was almost eleven.
“Isn’t it time we were going, dear?”
Claire nodded and reached for her bag and keys. After one final look around the room, Edith followed her granddaughter to the car.
* * *
It was almost midday when the four-wheel drive rolled to a stop in the car park. Tears were pouring down Claire’s cheeks “Gran, I will miss you so much.”
Edith squeezed her hand sympathetically.
“My little Claire,” she said. “You must remember, it is my life and I can decide what I want to do with it.”
A man appeared from the building and strolled across the tarmac to greet them.
“Look, dear,” said Edith. “It’s that nice young man.” She touched her hair. “How do I look?”
“You look fine,” said Claire, wiping her face.
“You don’t have to come in with me.”
“Yes, I do, Gran.”
“Alright, I suppose you do.”
Gordon Richie opened the passenger door.
“Good morning, Mrs. Selby,” he said, offering Edith his hand.
She smiled coyly. “You can call me, Edith.”
“Right on time, Edith,” he said.
“I don’t like to be late.” She paused and looked up. The sky was powder blue and cloudless save for the vapour trail from an aircraft. The sweet scent of gardenias drifted across the car park. Bees hummed around the waxy petals.
“Isn’t it a perfect day?” she said.
“It certainly is.” Gordon Richie waited patiently while Edith looked around.
“Now I’m ready,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Then will you allow me?” Gordon Richie said, offering her his arm and escorting her across the car park.
“Such a nice young man,” she said, as she glanced back.
Claire followed them into the building allowing the door to close quietly behind her.
At the entrance a new brass plaque glinted in the sun.
Engraved on it were the words:

Dr. Gordon Richie
Euthanasia Clinic
By appointment only

* * *

This is a condensed version of the short story which seems appropriate at a time when Tasmania, the Australian state in which I live, is pushing for legalization of voluntary euthanasia.
This story will appear in a collection of short pieces - both poetry and prose to be published shortly under the title - WORDS ON A CRUMPLED PAGE
Pic: Morning mist over the Tamar Valley from my home in Northern Tasmania

Portuguese CARAVEL in Launceston, Tasmania

Launched February 2011, Port Fairy, Australia, NOTORIOUS is a replica of a 15th century Portuguese caravel, the type favoured explorers and pirates in its day. She is a compact 21 metres long, six metres wide and 17 metres tall. Every nut and bolt is made of wood, handmade by the ship's captain and creator Graeme Wylie.

Constructed from felled Cyprus and iron bark wood collected from South-West Victoria and coated in tar, Felicity Wylie says the total cost of materials (not labour) to construct NOTORIOUS would be about $20,000.
A cabinet-maker by trade, Graeme 'lived, breathed and almost ate,' the ship for more than 10 years, explains Felicity. While there is an engine below deck, it's used only sparingly.

I discovered NOTORIOUS in Launceston, Tasmania, yesterday. Unfortunately, I was unable to go aboard as the ship was being prepared to sail. Today she is heading down the Tamar River to Bass Strait which is 65km away. I hope I will cross tracks with her again one day.
For more go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notorious_(ship)

A lesson to be learned from the past

Remember the Koala who was burnt in the Bushfires of 2009. People around the world felt its pain. But in 1927 alone in Australia over 500,000 cuddly koalas were killed for their skins. And in 200 years of colonisation, hundreds of thousands of defenceless mammals and marsupials, like possums and platypus, have been killed while several native animals, like the thylacine were hunted to extinction.
In Tasmania, the colonialists not only wiped out the Aborigines who had inhabited the land for millennia, but almost wiped out its native animal populations.
But in their ‘wisdom’ the squatters introduced, FOXES for the sport of hunting, RABBITS for fur and food, SPARROWS to eat the insects, and BLACKBERRIES and Scotch THISTLES to remind them of Britain - to name but a few imported pests.

If I have learned nothing else from my course in Environmental History, it is that we should look to the mistakes of the past if we are going to cope with the future.

The King is dead - a Dead River.

The magnificent King River in Tasmania’s west coast wilderness is biologically dead. It will take 1000 years for it to be capable of supporting any form of life. This is the result of greedy mining practices which went on unabated for decades.
But are we learning from history’s mistakes?

TWO'S A CREW - a circumnavigation of Australia

When Jack and Jude Binder sailed around Australia in Banyandah, their home-made 12m yacht, they took time out along the way to smell the roses. The 9000 nautical mile voyage took them to crocodile infested waters, coral atolls, ancient aboriginal sites and through Hell’s Gates itself.
Together they fished, photographed, and above all recorded the bounties of nature along the way.

Jack, (the lad from LA who now calls the sea and Australia home), wrote most of the book and apart from occasional lapses into personal diary style, his elegant descriptive passages are proof of his close bond with the Earth. Judith’s presence is felt throughout the book, sharing the same strength, courage and love of the wild as her man.



In Banyandah, they experienced the full force of wind, waves and currents in a voyage of adventure and exploration which was only made possible by their commitment to sailing and to each other.
For the cruising yachtsman or armchair traveller, TWO’S A CREW is a recommended read.
The read more about the book go to:Two's a Crew - A circumnavigation of Australia

Pic: Jack and Jude on Banyandah - York Cove, Tasmania, May 2011

Roaring Forties close Tasmania

The Roaring Forties has long been recognised as a powerful wind force. And that wind carries some of the world’s cleanest air. The Cape Grim Baseline air pollution monitoring station, on the north-west coast of Tasmania, has measured the cleanest air on earth.



But today, volcanic ash from a Chilean volcano is ringing the globe at a latitude of around 40 degrees. While Melbourne airport has re-opened, Tasmania remains closed and New Zealand is next in the path of the ash.

In the old days, Cape Grim was a bain to the early explorers because of its wild seas, ferocious winds and rugged coastline.


Today that wind is captured in a huge windfarm.

During the 1800s, the area was farmed by convict labour and was part of the Van Diemen's Land Agricultural Company property.

An isolated spot but worth a visit.

For sale - GRINDELWALD, Tasmania - UPDATE: Sorry, I have taken the house off the market

Dress circle position overlooking beautiful Tamar Valley
Perched atop the ridge, overlooking the beautiful Tamar Valley, this elegant north-facing residence commands 180 degree views of the broad river and mountains beyond. The house is on 5.6 secluded acres (3 ha) on Grindelwald's dress circle and located only 15km from Launceston. Seldom do properties in this location come onto the market.
Completed in 1990, the brick house has matured gracefully over its 21 years but recently has undergone some cosmetic makeovers including carpets, floor tiles and blinds.


Upstairs are three bedrooms. The main bedroom has built in robes, an en-suite (no bath), and a balcony with views that will take your breath away. The second and third bedrooms are connected by a small en-suite. One of these rooms is currently used as a study.


A large light-filled lounge room is on the ground floor and has a grand bay window and open fireplace. The updated kitchen is all electric. The living room has a woodstove for heating. Glass doors open to the Victorian-style conservatory with its magical views.


Also on the ground floor is the laundry and a third toilet. A gallery connects directly to the large double garage. This area could...show more easily be converted into a separate living area (STCA). The original house plans are available.


Hidden from the road, this desirable property consists of areas of established formal and informal gardens, plus native bush. There is so much to discover - from the tree ferns in the fernery; to the cottage and kitchen gardens; to the mature orchard bearing apple, pear, plum, fig, walnut and more; to the parklike lawns and to the tall timbers in the bush which wraps around the scarp providing a home for the tiny Bennett's wallabies and shy prickly echidnas.


This elegant house exudes warmth, charm, character and its unique stained glass door and windows depict the winding Tamar River and the flowers of the four seasons. These changes are self evident in the garden where bluebells and daffodils welcome spring; where old-fashioned blooms provide a kaleidoscope of colour in summer, and where autumn leaves mark the fall. In winter the magic mists swirling in the valley below are tinged pink by the rays of the rising sun.
It's like living on Cloud Nine.


This fine property would best suit active retirees or a professional couple though for a small family, there is sufficient land for a pet sheep, goat or pony. Some furniture may be available.

You can find lots of pics on www.domain.com or www.realestate.com if you search for 'Grindelwald'. Or if you are interested, contact me via the blog or my website.
Marg