Australia has not always been a land of sun and smiles, and many of today’s most popular sites have a particularly grim past. David Whitley takes a look at the dark side of Australia.
Old Fremantle Prison, Fremantle, WA.
Sharing a tiny room with a violent criminal and a bucketful of festering human waste - in 40 degree heat with no fan or air conditioning – is no fun.
Up until 1991, when it closed, this is what conditions were like at Fremantle Prison. Holiday camp it wasn’t, as you can see at first hand because everything has been kept intact.
When it closed down, after lots of thumb twiddling, the State government decided to keep it open as a tourist attraction.
The refreshing thing about the tour is that there’s no romanticising the prison life. You get the full details in all their guard-bribing, fist-fighting, drug-smuggling horror.
Guided through the chapels, cells and exercise yards, you get a real feel for the prison life. You learn things too – drugs being smuggled in through tennis balls being hit over the prison walls; the wing for non-violent prisoners being more violent than the wing for those up for bashing grannies; the wannabe artist who whittled his button into a pencil and covered up his incredible cell artwork with porridge every morning. It’s unexpectedly gripping.
Eeriest of all though is the gallows. The last man hanged in WA was Eric Edgar Cooke, a serial killer, in 1964. Amazingly, the death sentence was only abolished in 1984, but the tour takes you through what would happen if it still existed now. A rope round the neck, the sinister crank that opens the trapdoor, and you’re dead within two seconds. Strangely enough, silence fills the room after that.
Kings Cross, Sydney, NSW
Back in the 60s and 70s, The Cross was the home of the criminal underbelly. Drugs, guns, and gangland beatings merely scratched the surface, while in the 20s and 30s, it was a haven for illegal booze-smugglers and razor-wielding cut-throats. It made Baghdad look like a serene country village, quite frankly.
Should you want to discover a bit more about the area’s history, and hear gruesome tales of murder other such mischief, Night Cat Tours do a trip around some of Sydney’s lesser-known highlights, and take you to the places that the gangs used to infest. The detailed and atmospheric trip costs $69 per person.
The Houtman-Abrolhos islands, off the coast of Geraldton, WA.
In 1629, the Dutch trading ship Batavia was trying to cut a few corners on its way to what is now Jakarta. Alas, going into uncharted waters is not without its risks, and the ship ended up crunching into a coral atoll. As the commander and some crew headed for Jakarta on a rescue mission, the remaining souls were left with murderous schemer Jeronimus Cornelisz.
Once left to his own devices, he roused a band of malleable cohorts, and embarked on a reign of terror. He imposed Draconian rationing and capital punishment for the most minor of (mostly invented) offences in a deliberate bid to reduce the population.
Anyone considered a threat – including the ship’s soldiers – was sent off to explore the barren, nearby East Wallabi island, and then left stranded there. Meanwhile, women were taken as concubines and children butchered.
Eventually he was arrested by one of the soldiers banished to East Wallabi island – which wasn’t as much of a wasteland as first imagined. He was later hanged when the Commander arrived back from Batavia. Of the 200 stranded passengers, 125 had been killed under his bloodthirsty dictatorship.
Even today, the 122 coral islands, 60km west of Geraldton, are virtually untouched. However, Shine Aviation organises a $200 scenic flight, which includes a snorkel at East Wallabi Island, walks on deserted beaches plus dolphin and sea lion spotting.
Glenrowan, Victoria
Ned Kelly’s reign of terror/ brave resistance ended in June 1880 in his home town of Glenrowan. He and his gang held 70 hostages in the Glenrowan Inn as they planned to rob a police train to Melbourne, but they were thwarted as one of the hostages warned the authorities.
There followed a bloody shoot out, in which Ned’s gang all died. Despite being shot up to 28 times in the legs (depending on which sources you believe), Ned somehow survived to stand trial. He was later hanged in Melbourne Gaol.
These days, the otherwise sleepy town of Glenrowan in North East Victoria has built up quite a tourist industry. There are museums, guided walks and even animated theatre productions devoted to the supposedly lovable scoundrel. Best of all – you can get a photo of a giant Ned, complete with bucket on his head.
Port Arthur, Tasmania
For a country that was a penal colony, you can only imagine how bad a place that was used to house those who were thought too dangerous or naughty in that penal colony was.
It is no longer a prison (and judging by the harsh punishments meted out, this is probably a good thing), but Port Arthur is now an exceptionally good, story-packed day out. For $24 you get a guided tour, a tour of the waterfront and access to over 30 buildings that used to make up the dark heart of Van Diemen’s Land. There are other tours available (the nighttime ghost tour is particularly good).
This article was originally written for Ninemsn.
Copyright David Whitley
