Tasmania, Australia: During the nineteenth century, Port Arthur was one of Australia’s first penal colonies, housing thousands of England’s most violent criminals. Prisoners were forced to perform hard labor constructing buildings and working in the timber and brick making industries. After its closure, the area became an important tourist site. A “modern” prison, Port Arthur used isolation as punishment, and features a separate building used for solitary confinement in which tourists can contemplate the dimly lit rooms. In 1996, a man from a nearby town went on a shooting spree in the prison area, killing thirty five people and injuring thirty seven. Many were shot at point-blank range with a high powered semi-automatic weapon. The restaurant in which the majority of the victims died has been transformed into a place of reflection and a memorial plaque is on display.
