We were out early this morning for a walking tour of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. The town has a rich history of convicts and sea-faring life. Many of the old buildings were constructed by convicts, using local sandstone. Each stone mason had a distinctive pattern to identify his work.
Later we headed down the Convict Trail to visit the historic site of Port Arthur. It's a narrow winding road - everyone was on full alert for wildlife sightings. We were hoping to spot a Tassie Devil in the wild, but this sign was as close as we came.
Along the way, we saw the beautiful southern coastline of Tasmania - cliffs, coves and fishing villages bringing in scallops, oysters, crayfish and abalone.
We stopped at Eaglehawk Neck for an introduction to tessellated pavement ... an intertidal rock platform with cracks formed by salt water seeping into the rock.
We rode through "Doo-Town," a little seaside village in which all the home owners have named their houses somehow using "doo" in the title.
We arrived at Port Arthur, the notorious prison that was a dumping ground for British convicts. We expected a sad tale of torture and misery, but learned that this prison aimed at reform through discipline and punishment, religious instruction, classification and separation, and training and education. In 1840, over 2000 convicts, soldiers and prison staff lived here. The prison had become a major industrial settlement, showing a profit by producing ships, shoes, clothing, bells, furniture and other items. After England stopped sending convicts, the facility here gradually went out of business and closed for good.
We had a walking tour of the place, as well as a cruise around the prison area and a visit to the museum. At the museum we followed the fate of one of the prisoners as represented on a playing card. The ace of spades pictured Robert Goldspick, a shoemaker who was transported to Port Arthur after he was convicted of housebreaking.
Back in Hobart in late afternoon, we drove through some of the old residential areas and wandered around the waterfront. For dinner, most of our group ended the day eating fish and chips on the wharf at Sullivans Cove.
Along the way, we saw the beautiful southern coastline of Tasmania - cliffs, coves and fishing villages bringing in scallops, oysters, crayfish and abalone. 
