When I was in Tassie for work I made the effort to get to Port Arthur one evening. This place is well known in Australia for all the wrong reasons...
There is an eerie feeling about the place, and I guess that's to be expected at the site of Australia's biggest mass murder/shooting.
The history as a convict settlement was hardly roses & rainbows either. I won't go into details here, but you can check out the history information on Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur,_Tasmania
Despite its gruesome past, there is still beauty in its natural surroundings and heritage buildings.
It was one of those "shivers down your spine" experiences for me. Probably the most significant story to hit me on the day I was there was that of Alannah and Madeline Mikac. The two girls were tragically killed in the massacre at ages 6 and 3. Walter Mikac lost his two daughters and his wife, Nanette that day in 1996. The Alannah & Madeline foundation was set up in their honour: https://www.amf.org.au/who-we-are/about-us/
I guess the best thing, if there is one, after that day is the gun reform that followed in Australia. I'm proud that out Prime Minster of the time John Howard, took a stance and removed semi-automatic weapons from general supply in Australia.
Port Arthur is not a place I wish to revisit, but I am glad I have been there.
Added to steemit world map: [//]:# (!steemitworldmap -43.145337 lat 147.849712 long Port Arthur - former convict penal site & place of Australia's worst massacre d3scr)