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Cascades Female Factory Historic Site, Hobart

4.1
Must see · World heritage site · Historic Site · Landmark
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Formerly a workhouse for female convicts in the penal colony of Van Diemen's Land, Cascades Female Factory Historic Site is now a museum listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Operational between 1828 and 1856, the factory was an important part of the forced migration of convicts and global developments associated with punishment and reform. The site demonstrates how Britain used penal transportation to expand its sphere of influence, as well as to punish female convicts. Guided tours include short dramatic performances presenting the story of the convicts and their guardians. With our international travel planner, Hobart attractions like Cascades Female Factory Historic Site can be center stage of your vacation plans, and you can find out about other attractions like it, unlike it, near it, and miles away.
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Cascades Female Factory Historic Site reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
2,005 reviews
Google
4.3
TripAdvisor
  • Worth a visit. Most of the buildings are gone but the staff do a great job of bringing the place to life. Special mention to Molly. 
    Worth a visit. Most of the buildings are gone but the staff do a great job of bringing the place to life. Special mention to Molly.  more »
  • The tour and dramatic presentation were excellent and definitely worth attending. Very interesting and great to visit. We enjoyed the experience very much and learnt a lot about how female coming as....  more
    The tour and dramatic presentation were excellent and definitely worth attending. Very interesting and great to visit. We enjoyed the experience very much and learnt a lot about how female coming as....  more »
  • This is a great place to visit. They have done a really good job of bringing these women convicts stories alive. I knew very little of this history and it was presented in such a respectful and... 
    This is a great place to visit. They have done a really good job of bringing these women convicts stories alive. I knew very little of this history and it was presented in such a respectful and...  more »
Google
  • Really loved it, the tour was fantastic as was our guide. The stories are quite sad, but I think everyone should go there at least once. My husband and I cannot recommend it anymore highly. If you are in Hobart please visit you will not be disappointed.
  • Unfortunately like many others, most of this site was demolished but they have done quite a good job of recreating and marking out areas where cells, yards etc used to be. There is plenty of interesting information to read and it is refreshing to finally hear the convict story from the female experience. The book shop also has some really good books from a female perspective. It's a fairly quick journey through. In case you are looking for yard 2, you won't find it as it was on the site of the day care centre next door.
  • This is a must see experience. We loved every second being there. The stories and history left us speechless. Highly recommend everyone to do the Convicts Women's Tour and The Proud and the Punished performance. Doing both of these gives you so much information and the performance is just phenomenal you feel what it would have been like to be one of these women so emotional. Thank you for one of our most experiences I think we have ever had.
  • We saw this in a Tassie tourist brochure and decided to stop here on route to the brewery. Honestly, we didn't know what to expect and we didn't know much about the place. It was truly fascinating to walk through and see how female convicts were managed in days long ago. We spent about 1.5 hours here. Highly recommend this to anyone visiting Hobart.
  • I visited here with my 5 year old and although this is an excellent example of its type which is immaculately kept, there wasn't much to keep her entertained for much more than 45 minutes. It might be a better trip to do without kids.

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