“In all, close to 13,000 convicts spent time at Port Arthur during its 47-year history (with around 8 per cent of serving convicts buried there).” – Excerpt from Convict-Era Port Arthur, p. 384.
Convict-Era Port Arthur: Misery of the Deepest Dye is a comprehensive account of Port Arthur’s 47 years as a convict penal settlement. The histories of its various outstations – including the infamous coal mines – are also described.
Author David W. Cameron makes exhaustive use of primary and secondary sources, and frequently provides appalling statistics. For example, he states that 33,723 lashes were dealt out at Macquarie Harbour in its first five years as a penal settlement.
Convict-Era Port Arthur is a very informative and well-written book. It is an important addition to the vast collection of literature about Tasmania’s colonial history.
About David W. Cameron
David W. Cameron is the author of several books about Australian military history and primate evolutionary biology. He has also published over 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Technical information
David W. Cameron, Convict-Era Port Arthur: Misery of the Deepest Dye, 2021, Penguin Random House Australia, 433pp, paperback, ISBN 9780143795100.
