Australian Convict Sites
Encyclopedia
"Australian Convict Sites" is a World Heritage property
consisting of 11 remnant penal sites originally built within the British Empire
during the 18th and 19th centuries on fertile Australia
n coastal strips at Sydney
, Tasmania
, Norfolk Island
, and Fremantle
; now representing:
These properties were all individually included on the Australian National Heritage List
before inclusion on the World Heritage list.
Criterion IV (ie ensemble of buildings/architecture etc illustrating significant stage in human history):
Criterion VI (ie directly or tangibly associated with events etc of outstanding universal significance):
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
consisting of 11 remnant penal sites originally built within the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
during the 18th and 19th centuries on fertile Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n coastal strips at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
, and Fremantle
Fremantle
Freemantle is a suburb of Southampton in England.Fremantle or Freemantle may also refer to:- Places :* Fremantle, the port city to the capital Perth, Western Australia...
; now representing:
" .. the best surviving examples of large-scale convictConvicts in AustraliaDuring the late 18th and 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government. One of the primary reasons for the British settlement of Australia was the establishment of a penal colony to alleviate pressure on their...
transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts."
These properties were all individually included on the Australian National Heritage List
Australian National Heritage List
The Australian National Heritage List is a list of places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia. The list includes natural, historic and indigenous places...
before inclusion on the World Heritage list.
Penal Sites Included
The 11 penal sites constituting the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage listed property are- Cockatoo Island Convict Site (New South Wales)
- Great North Road (New South Wales)
- Hyde Park BarracksHyde Park Barracks, SydneyThe Hyde Park Barracks is an internationally significant, impressive brick building and compound designed by convict architect Francis Greenway between 1818–19; originally built at the head of Macquarie Street to house convict men and boys....
(New South Wales) - Old Government HouseOld Government House, ParramattaOld Government House is a former "country" residence of 10 early governors of New South Wales, located in Parramatta Park in Parramatta, New South Wales, now a suburb of Sydney...
(New South Wales) - Kingston and Arthurs Vale Historic AreaKingston and Arthurs Vale Historic AreaKingston and Arthurs Vale Historic Area is an old settlement on the Kingston coastal plains , southern side of Norfolk Island, consisting of a large group of buildings from the British Empire's convict era , now considered to be of such cultural significance to Australia and to the World that the...
(Norfolk Island) - Brickendon and Woolmers EstatesBrickendon and Woolmers EstatesBrickendon Estate and Woolmers Estate near Longford, Tasmania, Australia are adjacent farming properties that date back to 1817 and a time in world history when convicts were used to provide labour to settlers in exchange for food and clothing....
(Tasmania) - Cascades Female FactoryCascades Female FactoryCascades Female Factory was an Australian prison in South Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.The site comprises five yards, cemetery and outbuildings and is contained within a rectangular city block....
(Tasmania) - Coal Mines Historic SiteCoal Mines Historic SiteCoal Mines Historic Site was, for a period of 15 years , a convict probation station and the site of Tasmania's first operational coal mine, "serving as a place of punishment for the 'worst class' of convicts from Port Arthur".It is now the site of a collection of ruins and landscape modifications...
(Tasmania) - Darlington Probation StationDarlington Probation StationDarlington Probation Station was a convict penal settlement on Maria Island, Tasmania , from 1825 to 1832, then later a convict probation station during the last phase of convict management in eastern Australia...
(Tasmania) - Port ArthurPort Arthur, TasmaniaPort 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 the open air museum is officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction. It is located approximately 60 km south east of...
(Tasmania) - Fremantle PrisonFremantle PrisonFremantle Prison is a former Australian prison located in The Terrace, Fremantle, in Western Australia. The site includes the prison, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, tunnels, and prisoner art...
(Western Australia)
Criteria for Listing
Out of over 3000 convict sites remaining in Australia, the 11 constituting the Australian Convict Sites were selected as the pre-eminent examples of the world's convict era satisfying World Heritage Selection Criteria IV & VI:
"an exceptional example of the forced migrationForced migrationForced migration refers to the coerced movement of a person or persons away from their home or home region...
of convicts - an important stage of human history"
Criterion VI (ie directly or tangibly associated with events etc of outstanding universal significance):
"an extraordinary example of global ideas and developments associated with the punishment and reform of the criminal elements of humanity during the Age of EnlightenmentAge of EnlightenmentThe Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
and the modern era