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Australia's national culture is largely shaped by its past as a penal colony for British convicts, and locum tenens can learn about this unique heritage on a visit to the Penitentiary at Port Arthur, Tasmania.
The Penitentiary dates back to 1843, when it was built to house a flour mill and granary. With convict populations on the rise, however, it was converted into a prison in 1857. At its peak, the facility was equipped with dormitory accommodations and separate apartments capable of housing more than 480 convicts.
In 1897, however, an intense fire gutted the Penitentiary, leaving it in ruins for decades. During the 1960s, local activists and officials decided to embark on a new conservation program in an effort to preserve the structure for future generations.
Today, visitors to the Penitentiary can see its prisoner accommodations, mess room, library, chapel, workshops and more. Other local attractions related to Tasmania's penal history include the Convict Church, a chapel built by people who had been convicted of crimes, and the Separate Prison, a solitary confinement facility constructed in the 1850s.