Cascades Female Factory Historic Site
16 Degraves St., South Hobart, Hobart, Tasmania
Cascades Female Factory Historic Site is where Hobart’s female convicts were imprisoned and put to work back when Tasmania was a penal colony known as Van Diemen’s Land. Visitors today can explore the haunting site, which, at its peak, held even more prisoners than the much-feared Port Arthur.
Cascades Female Factory is part of the 11 Australian Convict Sites that include Port Arthur and collectively make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Three of the five original buildings are open to the public, so visitors can see the heavy stone walls and thick metal bars that once held so many incarcarated women. The Matron’s Quarters in Yard 4 provides travelers with details about the lives of civilians who were charged with administering punishment and reform.
You can explore the site independently or with one of several tours led by the site. One of the most popular tours on offer is “Her Story,” which dramatizes the story of a woman incarcarated in Cascades Female Factory in 1833.
*Cascades Female Factory Historic Site is a must-visit for an insight into Tasmania’s dark history. *Admission includes a visitor’s guide. *Children under 18 receive discounted admission. *Discounted combinations are available if you want to take more than one tour. *The site is wheelchair-accessible.
The Cascades Female Factory Historic Site is in South Hobart, around a 10-minute drive from Hobart’s CBD; parking is available on Degraves and Syme Streets. Metro bus numbers 446, 447, and 449 depart from Franklin Square in Hobart. Disembark at stop 13 then walk around four minutes down Apsley Street. The site is also a stop on many hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tours.
The site is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven day a week, all year round-- with the exception of Christmas Day. Check the online calendar before visiting as the site hosts a range of events and programs, including performances on the grounds, family events, and archaeological displays and activities.
Just a 10-minute walk from Cascades Female Factory, Cascade Brewery can provide a welcome refreshment after your visit. Australia’s oldest continually-running brewery, Cascade offers guided tours of its Gothic brewery building as well as a picturesque bar overlooking its landscaped gardens, where you can sample a range of beers and ciders along with snacks and meals.
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