Australian Convict Sites

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Australian Convict Sites
UNESCO World Heritage Site
PortArthurPenitentiary.jpg
View of Port Arthur, Tasmania one of the 11 penal sites constituting the Australian Convict Sites
Location Australia
Criteria Cultural: (iv), (vi)
Reference 1306
Inscription2010 (34th Session)
Area1,502.51 ha (3,712.8 acres)
Buffer zone3,746.68 ha (9,258.2 acres)
Coordinates 33°22′42″S150°59′40″E / 33.37833°S 150.99444°E / -33.37833; 150.99444

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 Australian coastal strips at Sydney, Tasmania, Norfolk Island, and Fremantle; now representing "...the best surviving examples of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts". [1]

Contents

Penal sites included

The 11 penal sites constituting the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage listed property are: [2] [3]

  1. Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area ("KAVHA"), Norfolk Island. [4]
  2. Old Government House and Domain ("Old Government House"), New South Wales. [5]
  3. Hyde Park Barracks, New South Wales. [6]
  4. Brickendon and Woolmers Estates ("Brickendon-Woolmers"), Tasmania. [7] [8]
  5. Darlington Probation Station ("Darlington"), Tasmania. [9]
  6. Old Great North Road, New South Wales. [10]
  7. Cascades Female Factory ("Cascades"), Tasmania. [11]
  8. Port Arthur Historic Site ("Port Arthur"), Tasmania. [12]
  9. Coal Mines Historic Site ("Coal Mines"), Tasmania. [13]
  10. Cockatoo Island Convict Site ("Cockatoo Island"), New South Wales. [14]
  11. Fremantle Prison, Western Australia. [15]

These properties were all individually included on the Australian National Heritage List before inclusion on the World Heritage list.

History of World Heritage listing

A convict ploughing team breaking up new ground - Port Arthur Convict labourers in Australia in the early 20th century.jpg
A convict ploughing team breaking up new ground - Port Arthur

Out of over 3,000 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, as follows:

World Heritage selection criteria
Criteria numberDescriptionCitation
Criterion IVEnsemble of buildings/architecture etc., illustrating significant stage in human history"an exceptional example of the forced migration of convicts - an important stage of human history." [16]
Criterion VIDirectly 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 Enlightenment and the modern era." [16]

Preparations began in 1995, and a World Heritage nomination was first made in January 2008. That attempt failed, and the nomination was subsequently reworked. [17]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longford, Tasmania</span> Town in Tasmania, Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascades Female Factory</span> Former workhouse for convicts in Tasmania, Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area</span> Historic settlement area on Norfolk Island, an Australian external territory in the Pacific Ocean

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" .. the best surviving examples of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coal Mines Historic Site</span> UNESCO heritage site in Tasmania, Australia

Coal Mines Historic Site was a convict probation station and the site of Tasmania's first operational coal mine, serving for a period of 15 years (1833–1848) "as a place of punishment for the 'worst class' of convicts from Port Arthur".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlington Probation Station</span> Heritage site in Darlington, Tasmania

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar Falls</span> Waterfall on the Gibraltar Creek in the Australian Capital Territory

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Koonya is a rural locality in the local government area (LGA) of Tasman in the South-east LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-east of the town of Nubeena. The 2016 census has a population of 134 for the state suburb of Koonya. It hosts the annual Koonya Garlic Festival, a "one-day celebration".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archer family</span> Family in Tasmania, Australia

The Archer family are a notable family in Tasmania, Australia, prominent in society, business and politics of Tasmania for the last two centuries. They are best known today for their now world-heritage listed farm estates, Brickendon Estate and Woolmers Estate, but have contributed to many areas of Tasmania throughout their history. Other members of the family have been Mayors of Hertford in England and participated in the American Civil War.

The Tasmanian Heritage Register is the statutory heritage register of the Australian state of Tasmania. It is defined as a list of areas currently identified as having historic cultural heritage importance to Tasmania as a whole. The Register is kept by the Tasmanian Heritage Council within the meaning of the Tasmanian Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995. It encompasses in addition the Heritage Register of the Tasmanian branch of the National Trust of Australia, which was merged into the Tasmanian Heritage Register. The enforcement of the heritage's requirements is managed by Heritage Tasmania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of the Dead (Tasmania)</span> Protected area in Tasmania, Australia

Isle of the Dead is an island, about 1 hectare in area, adjacent to Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia. It is historically significant since it retains an Aboriginal coastal shell midden, one of the first recorded sea-level benchmarks, and one of the few preserved Australian convict-period burial grounds. The Isle of the Dead occupies part of the Port Arthur Historic Site, is part of Australian Convict Sites and is listed as a World Heritage Property because it represents convictism in the era of British colonisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government House, Norfolk Island</span> UNESCO World Heritage site on Norfolk Island, Australia

Government House is the official residence of the Administrator of Norfolk Island, located on the Australian external territory of Norfolk Island. It was built in 1829 and, as part of the Kingston and Arthurs Vale Historic Area, is listed on the Australian National Heritage List and as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

References

  1. ↑ "Australian Convict Sites". World Heritage List. UNESCO. 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  2. ↑ Chalmers, Emma; Martin, Saray (1 August 2010). "World Heritage Committee approves Australian Convict Sites as places of importance". The Courier–Mail. Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  3. ↑ "Australian Convict Sites". World heritage places. Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  4. ↑ Energy, Department of the Environment and (24 April 2008). "National Heritage Places - Kingston and Arthurs Vale Historic Area (KAVHA)". www.environment.gov.au.
  5. ↑ Energy, Department of the Environment and (24 April 2008). "National Heritage Places - Old Government House and Government Domain, Parramatta". www.environment.gov.au.
  6. ↑ Energy, Department of the Environment and (24 April 2008). "National Heritage Places - Hyde Park Barracks". www.environment.gov.au.
  7. ↑ Energy, Department of the Environment and (24 April 2008). "National Heritage Places - Brickendon Estate". www.environment.gov.au.
  8. ↑ Energy, Department of the Environment and (24 April 2008). "National Heritage Places - Woolmers Estate". www.environment.gov.au.
  9. ↑ Energy, Department of the Environment and (24 April 2008). "National Heritage Places - Darlington Probation Station". www.environment.gov.au.
  10. ↑ Energy, Department of the Environment and (22 November 2013). "National Heritage Places - Old Great North Road". www.environment.gov.au.
  11. ↑ "Cascades Female Factory". National heritage places. Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. 15 May 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "Port Arthur: more information". National heritage places. Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. 15 May 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  13. ↑ Energy, Department of the Environment and (24 April 2008). "National Heritage Places - Coal Mines Historic Site". www.environment.gov.au.
  14. ↑ "Cockatoo Island: more information". National heritage places. Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. 15 May 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  15. ↑ Energy, Department of the Environment and (24 April 2008). "National Heritage Places - Fremantle Prison". www.environment.gov.au.
  16. 1 2 "Executive summary". Australian convict sites: World Heritage Nomination. Commonwealth of Australia: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. January 2008. ISBN   978-0-642-55390-4 . Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  17. ↑ Witcomb, Andrea (2012). Albert, Marie-Theres; Richon, Marielle; Viñals, Marie José; et al. (eds.). "Tensions between World Heritage and local values: the case of Fremantle Prison (Australia)" (PDF). World heritage papers: Community Development through World Heritage. 31. Paris, France: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): 62. ISBN   978-92-3-001024-9. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
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