There’s a million dollar view over Mason Cove from the failed flour mill when the conditions are right. As they were for me on this fine and sunny autumn day.

I was outside.

It was warm.

And I was there by choice.

I was lucky. Those three factors aren’t always present on prison visits. They’re even less likely in a penal settlement as notorious as Port Arthur, Australia’s best known convict penitentiary on the Tasman peninsula, a 90 minute drive from Hobart.

Getting here at last had only taken … well, never mind how many years since I read about it. I was here now, so I slapped down the moral dilemma of whether or not it was ethical to spend money on being entertained by other people’s suffering and set off to enjoy myself.

Because that’s what you do in a World Heritage listed convict settlement, right??

A Room with a View

Despite being surrounded by evidence of suffering and death, Port Arthur is strangely serene. Although it’s unlikely the blissful serenity OR the staggering scenery would have been quite so noticeable to the 600+ convicts locked up in the flour mill – converted into the main penitentiary after a failed attempt to provide the colony with its own flour supply.

Perhaps the better outlook enjoyed by the well-behaved convicts from their bunks on the 3^rd and 4^th floors above the lower level cells containing the hardened criminals was a small consolation.

Maybe the only one.

As a secondary punishment site for repeat offenders from all over Australia, Port Arthur was modelled on the ideas of prison reformer Jeremy Bentham as ‘a machine for grinding rogues into honest men’*. That meant an unpalatable cocktail of discipline, religion, training and punishment by solitary confinement.

And all that grinding happened in an area with an annual rainfall of ~850 mm falling on ~190 days a year and maximum temperatures averaging below 15° C. That meant a LOT of cold, dismal days. No surprises about the high incidence of respiratory problems and rheumatic ailments.

Life at Port Arthur

Down here, with nothing much between the coast and Antarctica, a life sentence meant exactly that. At the narrow neck of land connecting the peninsula to the rest of Tasmania there’s a line of dogs. Around the peninsula are treacherous waters, massive cliffs and wild weather. Escape? I don’t think so.

So was ‘enjoying’ the ‘killer view’ during what I KNEW would be a short stay with a departure time chosen by ME profoundly disrespectful to the 1100 convicts and settlers buried on the Isle of the Dead out in the bay?

Because this view was the last one they’d seen??

Whether yes or no, I’m in good company. Renamed ‘Carnarvon’ when the prison closed in 1877 after nearly 50 years – and TEN commandants (yes, that’s what my post title means!) – the township soon became a tourist attraction and the name changed back to Port Arthur.

As tourist demand increased, it’s been re-developed and restored into a key site of the 11 that comprise the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property.

And the tourists who keep rolling in aren’t just here for the fine bakery food up in the Port Café!

There’s a fine line between having a keen and inquiring mind and just being plain nosey. So the fascination my glimpse into this other world so alien, yet so much a part of colonial Australian history, gave me could go either way. Right? RIGHT??

Discovering Port Arthur

Exploring the Port Arthur site makes those history lessons of (not so) long ago real.

There’s the contrast between the convicts and the officers spelled out in the rough stone cells vs the comforts of the commandants house.

The massive government gardens where officers and their families could escape the taint of the convicts under their charge.

The Dockyard employing up to 70, where 166 boats both large and small were built.

The first juvenile reformatory in the British Empire where boys from 9-17 were educated at Point Puer, just across Mason Cove.

The church where up to 1100 people attended compulsory services.

And questions I’d never before thought to ask were answered.

Questions like what happened when a convict ‘lifer’ became too old or ill work – and thus earn their keep? And what happened if the harsh conditions tipped a convict over the edge of sanity?

They were housed in the Pauper’s Depot (self explanatory) or Asylum – now a Museum and Study Centre – although I didn’t find out what happened to those still alive when the penal settlement was closed. Is this the forgotten tragedy of this era?

Modern Day Tragedy at Port Arthur

But the tragedies that define Port Arthur sadly didn’t end back in the late 1800s.

The Memorial Garden built around the remains of the Broad Arrow Café commemorates the 35 visitors and staff killed and 19 wounded by a gunman in 1996. It’s a place to honour the ordinary people like you and me whose lives were brutally and senselessly lost or changed forever.

And a place to re-affirm that life is to be enjoyed and savoured.

I’m still not sure if ‘enjoy’ is the right word to describe my day in Port Arthur. But I don’t think I’ll be taking my freedom, choices and life for granted any more.

Have YOU been to Port Arthur?  Do you have family connections from Port Arthur??  Let me know in the comments below!

Want MORE?

• Port Arthur Historic Site
• Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property
• Discover Tasmania
• MORE Photos on Flickr

Don’t take my word for it – make your OWN date with history and see it for yourself!  These cheap flights will get you started!

* Quoted from the Port Arthur Historic Site Visitor Guide, also used extensively as a reference for this post.

The post The Ten Commandants, Port Arthur, Tasmania appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Spotting a scenic loo was a FAIL on my first Mount Wellington ascent 30 minutes up from Hobart’s docklands on the River Derwent 1271 metres below.

But I didn’t care.

After a LOOOOONG conference, I had a few hours to kill before heading back to the mainland. Hanging out at the airport with the same work buddies I’d been closeted with for the last four days wasn’t going to do it for me. But seeing something other than the inside of the conference room might.

The bus tour I found – so long ago that a house with a killer view on Battery Point could still be purchased for around $250,000 – promised Hobart highlights including a trip to the summit, then delivery to the airport. I signed up on the spot.

In my defence, my now carefully cultivated loo-lover credentials weren’t even embryonic back then. That’s the only reason I have for not noticing whether or not the summit even had a relief station*, let alone one with a view.

And there on the summit, just over 200 years since its first recorded ascent, with the staggering scenery and extraordinary panorama spread out before me, I vowed to return.

Fast forward to March 2014 and a 10-day teaser trip to Tasmania departing two days after we seized the day and decided to go.

(Aside: It IS possible to get jet-lag despite the relatively short distance from Adelaide to Hobart. At least it is if you get up at 3:00 am, stash the car in long-term parking and take two flights separated by a 3 hour wait, lug your baggage all over Hobart airport until you find the car hire terminal, drive through unfamiliar streets to your accomodation, then hit the tourist trail and Mount Wellington by mid-afternoon).

This time I’d done my research.

So the upmarket architect-designed loo perfectly placed to catch as much of that amazing Mount Wellington view as it possibly could wasn’t a complete surprise. The glass-fronted amenities block made multitasking on the mountain-top too easy with that killer view almost as good from inside as out.

Better if you’re a toilet tragic like me.

Even climbing the summit was anti-climactic after THAT!

And it just happened to tie in with the deadline for my first book Aussie Loos with Views! Coincidence? You decide!

MY BOOK!

Mount Wellington is one of over sixty dunnies of distinction from all around Australia featured in Aussie Loos with Views! illustrated with glorious colour photos! It’s the perfect answer to almost ANY gift giving dilemma – with the possible exception of your 90 year old granny. It’d even do her if she has a wicked sense of humour!

GIVE it!

Where to get it? Check out the RedzAustralia My Book page for all the information you need!

It’s the perfect accompaniment to my Dunnies of Distinction calendar, available from my RedBubble shop. Start the calendar from any month of the year and make it a birthday present.

WIN it!

And for a chance to win a copy of Aussie Loos with Views, register and verify your request to receive RedzAustralia updates via email by 31 December 2014 (12:00 pm AEST).

Registration is easy!  Just visit the RedzAustralia homepage sidebar OR CLICK HERE and Register to get RedzAustralia updates by Email

See below** for giveaway terms and conditions.

Want MORE?

• Mount Wellington

• Hobart, Tasmania

• Tasmania

• The other 39 (so far) Aussie Scenic Public Toilets

• My Book

* ‘Relief station’ = yet another euphemism for ‘Toilet’. Add it to the list along with amenities, bathroom, can, conveniences, dunny, john, lavatory, loo, potty, privy, thunderbox, toilet, water closet (although that one does have a mildly disturbing mental image).

Do you know any more? Let me know in the comments below! It’d be sick great to have the whole A-Z, yes?!

** For entry into the draw, you must have registered and verified your email address (verification will stop your email address being registered without your consent) by 12:00pm (AEDST) 31 December 2014. All those who are registered, including existing readers, will be entered into the draw. One winner will be selected by random.org in early 2015. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must reply to the email and supply a valid postal address (to which the book can be posted) within 5 days of the email notification date to claim the giveaway. Failure to do so means the prize will be offered to the 2^nd place holder on the random.org list.

The post OZ Scenic Public Toilet #40 – Mt Wellington, Tasmania appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Bruny Island

As far as I could tell, the fashion police hadn’t made it down to Bruny Island’s Adventure Bay.

Just as well.

If they had, they’d have been handing out infringement notices left, right and centre on board our purpose-built Naiad.   We were donning the Bruny Island Cruises complimentary waterproof onesies – our only protection from the winds and open waters of the Great Southern Ocean.

It was my first time on Bruny Island, off the Tasmanian east coast.

The first time I’d ever worn a cross between a hooded sleeping bag with no feet and a straitjacket.

And it was the furthest south I’d been. Anywhere, ever.

The Monument

On an island the same size as Singapore, but with 0.1 of 1% of their 6 million population, there’s a lot of room to move. There should have been a lot more room in the open sea – but we were hurtling straight towards The Monument, a rocky sea stack parallel to the perpendicular cliffs of South Bruny National Park. At 270+ metres high (~900 feet), they’re the second highest in the Southern Hemisphere.

The swell heaved and sucked against the wet rocks between The Monument and the cliffs.  Instead of holding back, our guide turned the boat, gunned the motor and expertly rode that surging current through the gap like a seasoned surfer!

Praise be we’d lucked out with a CALM day!

Rock Caves

The flat sea didn’t stop Breathing Rock – aka the Back End of Bruny – from backfiring to spew its salty sea spray towards the boat.

Or the kelp at the entrance to the sea cave – with walls so close we could touch them – from swirling its trailing tentacles through the shifting seas towards the boat.

Or the heavy sea spray drenching my straitjacket, but NOT the camera beneath.  That alone proved the worth of this all-protective neck to knee suit WAY beyond reasonable doubt. Then, with a blast of the horn, we reached the Tasman Sea limits and officially entered the Southern Ocean.

Friar Islands

But what did I expect? The tourist brochure had promised a ‘close connection with the wildlife and natural environment’. Now it wasn’t just the sea spray delivering a dose of natural drama. As we neared the Friar Islands we caught a whiff of the unmistakeable aroma of the thousands of seals which call them home. The wildlife part of the tour was about to kick in.

Big time.

360 kg love machine probably isn’t the obvious word association result for ‘male Australian Fur Seal’.  This description, presented by our (ironically male) guide is apparently accurate during mating season! Call me crazy, but is ‘love machines’ the collective noun for ANY heaving throng of overweight males grunting, fronting up to each other and jockeying for position in a competitive hierarchy?

I guess it depends on who’s doing the calling

FAR less confronting (and controversial!) was the pod of dolphins.

‘It’s around about now that a lot of people get nice shots of the water,’ our guide announced as the cameras aimed towards those speedy shapes clicked, in some most cases pointlessly. She was right. See what I mean?

Cruising the Southern Ocean

As the first gusts of wind preceding the approaching storm front blew in, the sea spray hits ratcheted up a notch.  We turned for the open sea – a VERY clever way to monitor the effects of seasickness.  It was also a good tactical manoeuvre to bring the twitchers* on board, and the rest of us face to beak with the original riders of the storm.

It worked.  Even though I have no photos to prove it.

An amazing experience for non-birdwatchers and bird-watchers alike, a flock of Bullers Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri) riding the storm front swooped around us, gliding in the currents while feeding all around. Spending most of a 30-odd year life span on the wing over a 16,000,000 km² range, these Albatross land to mate and nest in a 4 km² range in New Zealand.  Thank you Wikipedia!

A rarity near mainland Australia, it’s a piece of extraordinary luck – or maybe karma – that we actually saw the albatross. If this awesome tour hadn’t already received multiple awards including Tasmania’s best tourist attraction and best in Australia, AND rave reviews on TripAdvisor I’d be nominating it for EVERYTHING!

The Return Trip

As the sky turned to lead above, we returned to the relative shelter of the coastline – Jurassic Dolerite never looked so good! After another thunder ride thrill between the rocky spire of The Monument and the cliffs we left the drenching sea spray behind and headed for harbour. Had our 2½ hours already passed? Unbelievable!!

No, 10 days in Tassie wasn’t nearly long enough. In retrospect, I could’ve spent the whole 10 days on Bruny Island – and ‘doing’ this FAAAAABULOUS wilderness/wildlife cruise over again. And again. But for now it was over.

Giving up my own personal fashion statement of the seas was like parting with an old friend as I emerged dry and warm from the wet outer layer.  With a DRY camera!  Fashion police be damned!

When being so unfashionable is THIS rewarding, whatever I have to wear I’m sure I’ll be trying it again. SOON!

Get started with the best flights for your own Bruny Island Adventure!

Want MORE?

• Bruny Island Cruises
• Bruny Island
• Tasmania
• Red Nomad OZ’s OTHER Bruny Island Discovery!

*Twitcher = Bird watcher! Who knew?!

The post Beauty and the Beasts: Bruny Island Cruises appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

If you like your landscapes complete with killer views, superb natural attractions, unusual wildlife and a touch of history, Truganini Lookout overlooking ‘the Neck’ on Tasmania’s Bruny Island ticks all the boxes.

Pretty good, huh?!

But this already FINE outlook is elevated from pretty good to perfect by its scenic public toilet. That’s it, right down there near the car park and the beginning of the OH-so-many steps to the viewing platform.

Perfect, right?!

Our day on Bruny Island just off the Tasmanian east coast south-east of Hobart hadn’t started so well. How could the Mirambeenavehicle ferry be merrily motoring across the D’Entrecasteaux Channel from Kettering to Bruny Island WITHOUT US? We’d got up early. We’d made good time on the drive south to the ferry departure point. We’d joined the queue. And when the car in front of us went up the ramp, we thought there’d be room for our smallish hire car too.

BUT THERE WASN’T!!

At least the 1.5 hour wait for the next service gave me a welcome opportunity to practice my water reflection photography skills. And my marina photography skills. And my ‘is-that-tiny-speck-on-the-horizon-the-ferry-coming-back-yet-please-goddess’ shots.

That ‘practice’ time was welcome to ME, anyway. I’ll leave you to judge by these snaps whether those 90 LONG minutes of my life I’ll never see again were 90 minutes well spent. Or not!

At least we were first in line for the next ferry service. And the day started to look a bit brighter – literally – as the morning fog and cloud rolled away and we disembarked at the Roberts Point ferry terminus AND BAKERY!! YESSSSSS!!!

But the day was to become even brighter.

Nearly half-way down Bruny Island’s 100km length is the (I can’t believe they called it that!) Neck – a (yes, you guessed right) narrow neck of land joining North and South Bruny Island and separating the D’Entrecasteaux channel from Adventure Bay.

It’s also a penguin and shearwater rookery – an apparently rare combo. And the area is significant to the Tasmanian Aboriginal people so the lookout is dedicated to the memory of Truganini, one of the last tribal Aborigines in Tasmania.

Of course we HAD to stop and check it out.

Just as well we did or we would have missed one of the most scenic Australian Public Toilets I’ve had the pleasure of doing my business in.

And I would have missed the chance to include it in my first book!

‘Aussie Loos with Views!’ is what’s kept me from this blog for so long.

That, and the ‘long service leave’ I’d earned from four years of blogging!

It’s hard to imagine that after a dramatic dunny like this that the day could get even better. IT DID! But that’s a story for another day!! Stay tuned!!!

Want MORE?

• Truganini Lookout and The Neck
• Bruny Island
• Tasmania

The post Australia’s Scenic Public Toilet #38 – The Neck, Bruny Island appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.