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'The Lottery of Life': Convict Tourism at Port Arthur Historic Site, Australia
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 20:54 authored by Hamish Maxwell-StewartHamish Maxwell-StewartThis article will explore the design process behind the ‘Lottery of Life’ interpretation gallery opened at the Port Arthur Historic Site, Tasmania, in 1999. A penal station designed as a site of discipline for secondarily convicted and recalcitrant convicts, Port Arthur operated from 1830-1877. Following its closure as a corrective institution it became a significant tourist destination. As such it has a long history of prison tourism. Prior to the opening of the 1999 exhibition, a number of prominent Australian historians and writers attacked the interpretation of convict and institutional life in this ultra-coercive penal station. The local criticism levelled at the site shared much in common with wider critiques of heritage tourism in the Englishspeaking world. The construction of a new visitor centre and interpretation gallery presented an opportunity to try and address some of the concerns levelled in the local and international literature. It also provided a rare chance to turn academic findings into an interactive display that could communicate a complex picture of penal station life to a diverse audience.
Funding
Australian Research Council
History
Publication title
Prison Service JournalVolume
2013Issue
210Pagination
24-28ISSN
0300-3558Department/School
School of HumanitiesPublisher
H M Prison ServicePlace of publication
United KingdomRights statement
Crown Copyright 2013Repository Status
- Restricted