History: Australia and Convicts
Geography

The continent of Australia, with the island state of Tasmania, is approximately
equal in area to the United States (__________________________________).

Mountain ranges run from north to south along the east coast, reaching their
highest point ________________________________ (7,308 ft; 2,228 m).

The western half of the continent is occupied by a ________________________
that rises into barren, rolling hills near the west coast.

The Great Barrier Reef, extending about 1,245 miles (_______________), lies
along the northeast coast.

The ___________________________________ (26,178 sq miles; 67,800 sq km)
is off the southeast coast.
History

The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines, who migrated there at least
_________________ years ago from Southeast Asia. There may have been
between a half million to a full million Aborigines at the time of European
settlement; today about _____________________ live in Australia.

Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish ships sighted Australia in the 17th century; the
Dutch landed at the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606. In 1616, the territory became
known as _______________________.

The British arrived in 1688, but it was not until __________________________
___________________ in 1770 that Great Britain claimed possession of the vast
island, calling it New South Wales. A British penal colony was set up at Port Jackson
(_______________________________) in 1788, and about
_______________________transported English convicts were settled there
until the system was suspended in 1839.

Free settlers and former prisoners established six states: __________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Various ______________________ attracted settlers, as did the mining of other
minerals.

______________________and grain soon grew into important economic
enterprises.

1901 Australia became a country separated from England but still part of the
Common Wealth.
Port Arthur, Tasmania

Port Arthur is a small town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula,
in Tasmania, Australia. Port Arthur is one of Australia's most significant heritage
areas and an ____________________________.

The site forms part of the ______________________, a World Heritage
property consisting of eleven buildings originally built within the British Empire
during the 18th and 19th centuries.

______________________represents, "...the best surviving examples of largescale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through
the presence and labour of convicts."

Port Arthur is officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction. It is located
approximately ______________________ (37 mi) south east of the state capital,
______________________.

Port Arthur was also the destination for ______________________, receiving
many boys, some as young as _____________. The boys were separated from the
main convict population and kept on ______________________, the British
Empire's first boys' prison.

Like the adults, the boys were used in hard labour such as _______________
______________. One of the buildings constructed was one of Australia's first
non-denominational churches, built in a gothic style.

Attendance of the weekly Sunday service was compulsory for the prison population.
Escape?

Despite its reputation as a pioneering institution for the new, enlightened view of
imprisonment, Port Arthur was still in reality as _________________________
_______________________ penal settlements.

Some critics might even suggest that its use of psychological punishment,
compounded with ________________________________________________
_________________________________________.
The Island of the Dead

Some tales suggest that prisoners committed murder (_____________________
___________________________________________) just to escape the
desolation of life at the camp.

______________________ was the destination for all who died inside the prison
camps. Of the 1646 graves recorded to exist there, only 180, those of prison staff
and military personnel, are marked. The prison closed in 1877.
Tourism

In 1979, funding was received to preserve the site as a tourist destination, due to
its historical significance. Several magnificent ______________________, built
by convicts working under hard labour conditions, were cleaned of ivy overgrowth
and restored to a condition similar to their appearance in the 19th century.
Buildings include the "______________________", the Guard Tower, the Church,
and the remnants of the main penitentiary.

The mass graves on _________________________________also attract
visitors. The air about the small bush-covered island is described as possessing
"___________________" and "___________________" qualities by visitors.
Point Puer

Point Puer, across the harbour from the main settlement, was the site of the first
boys' reformatory in the British Empire. Boys sent there were given some basic
education, and taught trade skills.

After entering the Historic Site, visitors can either survey the site for
themselves, or participate in guided tours of the Site, a harbour cruise, tours to
the __________________________________________and evening Historic
_______________________________.

There is also a museum, containing written records, tools, clothing and other
curiosities from convict times, a Convict Gallery with displays of the various trades
and work undertaken by convicts, and a research room where visitors can check up
on any convict ancestors. Visitor facilities include two cafes, a bistro that operates
each evening, gift shop, and other facilities.
Massacre

In 1996 it was the scene of the worst mass murder event in post-colonial Australian
history.

On 28 April 1996, the Port Arthur historic site was the location of a killing spree.
The subsequently convicted perpetrator murdered ________________________
________________________ more before being captured by the Tasmania
Police. The killing spree led to a national ban on semi-automatic shotguns and rifles.

The perpetrator, _______________________, is currently serving 35 life
sentences plus 1,035 years without parole in the psychiatric wing of Risdon Prison in
Hobart, Tasmania.