An earlyish start today as we wanted to take advantage of the good weather and visit Port Arthur.
First though we headed for the (included) buffet breakfast and fuelled up for the strenuous days sightseeing ahead - toast, bacon, eggs, hash browns, and fruit salad (yes really - I had fruit salad for breakfast) before hitting the tourist trail to Port Arthur.
Brief stops at Richmond (historic bridge)& the Abel Tasman monument arriving at Port Arthur in time for morning tea.
Having been to Port Arthur some 30 years I'd forgotten how powerfully atmospheric it is - it has changed quite a bit - after the 1996 massacre parts of the visitors centre & cafe complex were pulled down and/or rebuilt.
The entry fee includes a 20 minute harbour cruise - it's interesting to see the site from the water - and unlimited wandering arond the site (some 40 hectares iirc) .
It's difficult to explain how cold and eerie the (former) penitentiary can feel on a bright, sunny winters day - sketches and photos explain what & how the various rooms rooms were used.
There is such a lot to take in.
The memorial for the victims of the 1996 massacre is a simple, but extremely moving, garden (with reflecting pool) on the former site of the Broken Arrow cafe (where many of the victims were murdered).
It is a lovely tribute and quite overwhelming in its simplicity.
I think Port Arthur is one of those places that you need to visit more than once.
There is just so much to take in...
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