Port Arthur was established as a convict timber station in 1830. From 1833, it was a secondary punishment station for re-offending convicts.
Although the settlement swiftly garnered a reputation as a ‘hell on earth’, several important people – including Sir John Franklin – visited the settlement during the 1830s and ‘40s. They would stay at the Commandant’s House.
In 1854, Government Cottage was built next-door to the Church. Its sole purpose was to accommodate government officials and other important people when they visited Port Arthur.
One noteworthy visitor was the Governor of South Australia, Sir James Fergusson, in 1871. He stayed at Government Cottage with his Tasmanian counterpart, Sir Charles Du Cane.
In front of the residence was Government Garden, which shielded visitors from the undesirable sight of the convicts who lived and worked at the settlement.
Port Arthur was seen as a disreputable place due to its reputation as a ‘hell on earth’. When it closed in 1877, the state government wanted nothing more to do with it, so it sold the land and buildings to private settlers. This included Government Cottage.
The house was not privately owned for long. It burned down when a bushfire devastated Port Arthur in 1895 and was never rebuilt. Its ruins have since been preserved as part of the Port Arthur Historic Site.
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Tas That Was is a column that includes:
- anecdotes of life in Tasmania in the past;
- historical photographs of locations in Tasmania; and/or
- documentaries about locations in Tasmania.
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