Travelling to History
Though you can't erase history, the Tasmanians do a wonderful job of keeping Port Arthur famous for the right reasons.
Earlier this year I made the trip to Tasmania for the first time. I spent most of my short time there in the city, doing the usual "tourist" things and visiting all of the "must see" destinations.
One place I was very keen on visiting was Port Arthur. Those who have been there have all remarked on its beauty, rich in culture and history, but also a place of great sadness as the site where 35 innocent victims lost their lives 12 years earlier.
Having never visited a place of such tragedy before, it was rather eerie walking past the Broad Arrow Café, now a shell that sits on its own. Though not part of the "official" tour, I would say everyone makes a stop there at some stage during their visit.
Not sure why, but I visited twice. Behind the cafe that now only has the remains of an old fireplace in it, is a memorial pool and plaque, with a full list of those who died on that dark day in April 1996. It is a simple but very warm and kind tribute.
What I found most perplexing about the experience was a note included in the tour brochure that requested all visitors avoid asking any questions related to the massacre. As my tour guide took us around the old buildings and spoke about the realities of the convict days, I remembered looking at him and realising that he probably knew some of the victims, maybe some were colleagues and close friends, and I thought about how much courage it must take to return to a place every working day that brought so much fear and heartbreak to our nation.
I have never been to the site of 9/11 in New York, or any other site of real human tragedy. Port Arthur was my first look at a place of great sadness but beautiful remembrance in the flesh. Though you can't erase history, the Tasmanians do a wonderful job of keeping Port Arthur famous for the right reasons.
sally.rose
December 17, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Site of rememberance or tourist spot?
There's always an awkward line in these situations between education, rememberance and gawking. I suspect they had to request no questions about the massacre to discourage halloween style tourists.
I wonder if tourism to Port Arthur has increased since the massacre? People are often drawn to sites of historical tragedy by a fascination with the macabre.
Years ago I was on a whistlestop sightseeing bus tour through Germany: cathedral, bierhalle, art gallery, museum, another cathedral and then they took us to Dachau concentration camp.
To me, it just felt hugely innappropriate to be there as a tourist. Everyone in my tour group was under 25yrs old and most of them were behaving in a way which lacked the proper respect for where we were and the people who'd lost their lives. It was embarassing to be associated with people who were strolling through chatting away as if we were at just another tourist spot.
The Dachau museum is a place to pay your respects and the displays were very educational, it certainly left a lasting impression on me; but I'm still not entirely satisfied that this justifies the tourist trade that has emerged there.
Douglascomms
January 5, 2009 at 1:58 am
A multilayered tragedy
It's important to remember that Port Arthur has long been a place of rememberance and quiet reflection. As a brutal state prison it was a place where convicts were whipped or beaten to death, where children were incarcerated and where the state exacted a terrible retribution against those who only crime was poverty.
If anything the more recent massacre has forced visitors to the site to contemplate the full gravity of the site they had chosen to visit. Sally is right to compare it to visiting a concentration camp as that is effectively what it was long before Martin Bryant picked up a gun.