Cascades Female Factory Historic Site [official]

This is a truly amazing experience. Our guides were knowledgeable & empathetic to the history. A must do for everyone & definitely suggest doing the tour with the guides.

Visited lutruwita/Tasmania to learn more about my convict ancestry and visiting Cascades was a big part of that. Our guide was Marcelle and she was fantastic at explaining the history and sharing the stories of the women who were imprisoned here (also finding out about and including my ancestors in her tour). Gave me a new appreciation of what my ancestors went through.

Booked a tour with the very helpful gentleman on reception. Very poignant. Glad I went. An education.

This site was our first introduction to the time when convicts were "exported" from the UK as part of the punishment for their crimes. Cascades Female Factory was sold off and mostly dismantled after it closed down. The government had to purchase back most of the property and return it to the original state to open the site for historical visits. We took bus 446 (free pending the outcome of the US-Iran war) from near our hotel and it got us there in around 15 minutes. There were two guided tour options offered (1) Notorious Strumpets and Dangerous Girls which was focused on specific women's stories and (2) Convict Women's Tour which provided an overview of life, hardships, conditions and more inside. Each focused on different parts of the factory so it was best to arrive at least 30 minutes early or stay after the tour to see the part of the factory not covered in the guided tour. Good signage were posted throughout the site along with many individual profiles of the women convicts. There wasn't much to see (mostly walls, building outlines and one original home) but the tour guides brought the history and the stories of some of the female convicts to life. Very harsh living conditions, extreme penalties, abuse and heartbreaking separation from the children were conveyed throughout the tour. Well worth a visit if you have time in Hobart. If you have the Port Arthur Historic Site Ticket of Leave (housed the male convicts) then you can visit this site for free.

While there is not a lot of structures to see you can use your imagination to put walls etc where they should be. This is a place I have wanted to visit for a long time, and it was quite moving to hear the stories. The little flip up plaques with individual women’s stories helps to understand the different crimes that had them sent to this far away land. I did the guided tour but enjoyed my time being able to wander freely between the yards, museum and matrons house. Humans are our own worst enemies destroying our history to try and forget the bad things that happened. But we can show that these women are not forgotten by visiting this site and learning a little bit of why they ended up there in the first place.

Excellent tours! Guides were so knowledgeable and enjoyed telling their stories. A hard look at history but so interesting!

For $35, I expected a lot more than to be standing in a yard and listen to the tour guide tell stories. Sure, we moved into 3 separate sections of the yard over the course of the hour. But that was it. There was another empty yard, with one original building in the corner, and a very scant museum. I certainly won’t be recommending this to anyone for the price they’re charging.

This is a must see while in Hobart. It’s the last remaining female convict ‘factory’ as all others were demolished to hide the evidence once the conditions were exposed. The women endured punishment, degradation and appalling living conditions. The tour with one of the knowledgeable guides is a must too. You can get an all inclusive ticket. Though walking and standing, there are periods /areas where f seating for those less mobile.

Matthew and Mark are amazing tour guides. Their knowledge is amazing. So many sad stories that must be retold and never forgotten.

Don’t miss this unique space.