Port Arthur in Tasmania.
Port Arthur is a small town and former convict colony in Tasmania. It is also the location of one of the deadliest shooting massacres in the world; in 1996 35 people were killed and another 23 wounded by a 28yr old Australian man Martin Bryant. From 1833 to 1853, Port Arthur functioned as a prison for the hardest British convicts and rebellious repeat offenders from across Australia and used psychological punishment instead of physical. Well behaved prisoners were rewarded with extra food and luxury items such as tea, tobacco and sugar, while the rebellious prisoners received only bread and water. They were also hooded and made to keep silent, to allow them to think about their actions that bought them there. However, many convicts developed serious mental illnesses from lack of light and sound. The prison also housed young juvenile offenders who lived and slaved in the same cells as the adult population. Paranormal activity is very real here, with reports of prisoners and staff wandering the buildings. The most famous ghost is Rev. George who died in an upstairs bedroom in The Parsonage. He has been identified by numerous people and is believed to have never left the prison. Prisoners who died at Port Arthur were taken to “The Island of The Dead” where a reported 1676 graves lay on the small island, however only 180 are marked. Unexplained events include reports of spirits who haunt the grounds occasionally attacking tourists, screams coming from a young boy awaiting execution, moving furniture and rattling windows, and several well known prisoners have been recognised hanging around the cells. In 2014, Port Arthur is one of Australia’s biggest historical sites with over 250,000 visitors each year.
