Transporting Visitors into Tasmania’s Convict Past

Tasmania’s convict sites have become a drawcard for visitors as the Tasmanian Gothic sensibility has gripped the imaginations of artists and the general public alike. Visitor numbers to Tasmanian convict sites have grown to unprecedented levels. This phenomenon can usefully be explored through the theoretical lens of thanatourism, the study of travel to sites associated with human suffering and death. This chapter presents case studies drawn from Port Arthur, the Cascades Female Factory and the Penitentiary Chapel to illustrate the ways in which the Tasmanian convict story is being told, including which stories are present, and which are elided.