Port Arthur

402 Pages·2016·11.23 MB·English

by  Joanie Wolfe

Historical Archaeology of Tourism at Port Arthur,
Tasmania, 1885-1960
by
Jennifer Kathleen Jones
M.A., Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2009
B.A., Simon Fraser University, 2005
Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in the
Department of Archaeology
Faculty of Environment
 Jennifer Kathleen Jones 2016
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Spring 2016
Approval
Name: Jennifer Kathleen Jones
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy (Archaeology)
Title of Thesis: Historical Archaeology of Tourism at Port Arthur,
Tasmania, 1885-1960
Examining Committee: Chair: George Nicholas
Professor
Ross Jamieson
Senior Supervisor
Associate Professor
David Burley
Supervisor
Professor
David Roe
Supervisor
Adjunct Associate Professor
Alison Gill
Internal Examiner
Professor
Department of Geography and School
of Resource and Environmental
Management
Heather Burke
External Examiner
Associate Professor
Department of Archaeology
Flinders University
Date Defended/Approved: January 14, 2016

ii
Abstract
This study examines the construction of place for tourists at Port Arthur,
Tasmania, Australia, between 1885 and 1960. Port Arthur, a popular Tasmanian tourist
destination today, was first established in 1830 as a secondary punishment station for
British convicts and closed in 1877. Six months following its closure, the first steamship
full of pleasure-seekers interested in visiting the former penal settlement arrived at Port
Arthur. While some groups in Tasmania worked to shed the stain of its convict past,
tourist interest in Port Arthur increased. The substantial income tourism introduced to a
limited local economy resulted in tensions between hiding the convict past and profiting
from it.
The way Port Arthur was created and recreated for tourists changed through time
and was often affected by context. Constructions of the site and its history were driven
by a number of fiscal, social and cultural factors, and these were navigated by several
groups. A number of actors, including hotel proprietors, tour operators, postcard
producers, museum curators and guidebook authors, had varied roles and interests in
the site, and these were enacted in a variety of media. To explore some of the nuances
in the ways Port Arthur was constructed for tourists, material culture from several
contexts around the site was examined. This includes assemblages from hotels and
guesthouses at Port Arthur, advertisements for the hotels printed in newspapers and
guidebooks, postcards which depicted the site, and private museum collections that
interpreted the site for visitors. These collections were examined for expressions of dark
tourism and romanticism, along with broader understandings of authenticity and
inauthenticity in the construction of Port Arthur for tourists.
Evidence from all available contexts at Port Arthur was used (where possible) to
evaluate historical theories regarding the development of mass tourism in the western
world. Artefact assemblages from hotels and guesthouses at Port Arthur were also used
to assess existing theories about the material nature of tourism as a phenomenon,
identify a material signature unique to tourist sites and better understand material
manifestations of tourism.
iii
Keywords: historical archaeology; tourism; material culture; Port Arthur; Tasmania;
hotels
iv
Dedication
I’d like to dedicate my thesis to my family and friends, as without their support and
calming influence the PhD process would have been infinitely more difficult.
My parents (Rod and Kathy) and brother (Robbie) require special mention as they kept
me grounded and have been an amazing source of strength. My parents particularly
provided me a place in their St. John’s, NL, home to hide and prepare for my
comprehensive exam. My brother was an endless source of entertainment and kept me
grounded during my studies my distracting me just enough that I could focus. My
husband Paul brightened my days and was so crucial to me finishing everything up – I
can’t thank him enough. To my grandfather Jim, uncles Jamie and Allen, aunt Brenda,
cousins and close friends in Vancouver – I can’t thank you enough for your support and
love regardless of the distance.
Finally, I’d like to dedicate this thesis to my grandmothers Leila and Lutina who
unfortunately passed during the course of my studies.
v
Acknowledgements
There is a long list of people who were crucial to the successful completion of this
dissertation. My senior supervisor, Dr. Ross Jamieson, has provided support and insight
through the course of my doctoral studies. He worked with me through three potential
PhD topics and accepted my decision to move to Australia and study at Port Arthur. I
can’t thank him enough for his insight, patience and guidance.
I’d like to acknowledge my supervisory committee, consisting of Dr. David Burley and Dr.
David Roe. Dr. Burley’s input was crucial to grounding my dissertation while Dr. Roe
helped me establish the central concepts for the project and provided so much support
in terms of finding research resources, providing a workspace and temporary
accommodation through PAHSMA while I settled in Tasmania. I must, of course,
acknowledge of the support I received from PAHSMA and the amazing staff they have
working across the site. Along with Dr. Roe, Annita Waghorn, Michael Smith and the
staff at the Resource Library deserve special mention as they helped me navigate
PAHSMA’s ample resources and were central to helping me understand the site. The
heritage team at the Southern Midlands Council in Tasmania provided me with a
workspace, employment and friendship when I moved away from Port Arthur – many
thanks to Brad, Karen and Alan.
Dr. Heather Burke and Dr. Allison Gill, who served as my external and internal
examiners (respectively), provided thoughtful input into this project through their review
and comments. I’d also like to acknowledge the faculty and staff at the SFU Department
of Archaeology who facilitated the entire doctoral process and provided guidance and
support over the course of my studies. I must, of course, thank SSHRC for funding a
substantial portion of my research and the trip to Australia which eventually led to my
moving there and doing this topic.
Again, I’d like to acknowledge my family, friends and of course my husband Paul. He
handled me locking myself into the office for days on end without complaint and
undertook the endless chocolate runs so I could maintain my concentration.
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Table of Contents
Approval .......................................................................................................................... ii
Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iii
Dedication ....................................................................................................................... v
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ vi
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... vii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................. xii
List of Figures................................................................................................................ xv
List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................xxi
Ruins of the Penitentiary at Port Arthur ........................................................................ xxii
Chapter 1. Project Overview ....................................................................................... 1
1.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1
1.2. Port Arthur .............................................................................................................. 2
1.3. Historical Archaeology of Tourism - Overview ........................................................ 4
1.3.1. Tourism ....................................................................................................... 5
1.3.2. Historical Archaeology of Tourism ............................................................... 5
1.3.3. Material Culture and Place .......................................................................... 9
1.4. Archaeology at Port Arthur ................................................................................... 11
1.5. Research Significance .......................................................................................... 12
Chapter 2. Convict Transportation, Nationalism and Tourism ............................... 14
2.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 14
2.2. Convict Transportation ......................................................................................... 14
2.2.1. Australia .................................................................................................... 16
2.2.2. Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) ................................................................ 20
2.2.3. Port Arthur ................................................................................................ 23
2.3. A Nation of Convicts ............................................................................................. 26
2.4. History of Tourism ................................................................................................ 29
2.4.1. Australia .................................................................................................... 32
2.4.2. Tasmania .................................................................................................. 35
2.5. History of Tourism at Port Arthur .......................................................................... 40
2.5.1. Site Management ...................................................................................... 45
Chapter 3. Place and Authenticities in Tourism ...................................................... 49
3.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 49
3.2. Place .................................................................................................................... 49
3.2.1. Geographical Imagination ......................................................................... 51
3.2.2. Place and Tourism (Production and Consumption of Place) ...................... 52
3.2.3. Authenticity and Inauthenticity ................................................................... 53
3.3. Dark Tourism ........................................................................................................ 55
3.3.1. Shades of Dark Tourism ........................................................................... 55
3.3.2. Dark Tourism at Port Arthur ...................................................................... 60
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3.4. Romanticism......................................................................................................... 61
3.4.1. What is Romantic? .................................................................................... 61
3.4.2. The Romance of Ruins ............................................................................. 63
Chapter 4. Presenting Port Arthur in Museums ...................................................... 66
4.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 66
4.2. Methodology ......................................................................................................... 67
4.3. Beattie’s Port Arthur Museum (c1890-1930) ......................................................... 71
4.3.1. Overview ................................................................................................... 73
4.3.2. Room 1 ..................................................................................................... 75
4.3.3. Room 2 ..................................................................................................... 78
4.3.4. Room 3 ..................................................................................................... 81
4.3.5. Discussion ................................................................................................ 85
4.4. Radcliffe’s Old Curiosity Shop at Port Arthur (c1925-1943) .................................. 87
4.4.1. Overview ................................................................................................... 90
4.4.2. Antiques .................................................................................................... 93
4.4.3. Ethnographic Collection ............................................................................ 97
4.4.4. Natural History Collection .......................................................................... 99
4.4.5. Port Arthur ................................................................................................ 99
4.4.6. Convict History ........................................................................................ 102
4.4.7. Tasmanian History .................................................................................. 105
4.5. Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 107
Chapter 5. Depicting Port Arthur in Postcards ..................................................... 108
5.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 108
5.2. Methodology ....................................................................................................... 109
5.3. Overview ............................................................................................................ 111
5.4. The Romance of Ruins ....................................................................................... 112
5.5. A Place of Solitude – Erasing People ................................................................. 116
5.6. Recreating History .............................................................................................. 121
5.7. Wish You Were Here?: Dark Tourism in Postcards ............................................ 125
5.8. Authenticity ......................................................................................................... 128
5.9. Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 132
Chapter 6. Examining Material Culture from Hotels and Guesthouses ............... 135
6.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 135
6.2. Connecting Material Culture with Hotels and Guesthouses ................................ 135
6.2.1. Class and Tourism .................................................................................. 137
Conspicuous Consumption ..................................................................... 139
Gentility ................................................................................................... 139
6.2.2. Gender and Tourism ............................................................................... 140
6.2.3. Families Touring ..................................................................................... 141
6.2.4. Health ..................................................................................................... 141
6.2.5. Leisure .................................................................................................... 142
6.3. Methods ............................................................................................................. 142
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6.3.1. Finds Analysis ......................................................................................... 146
Functional Analysis ................................................................................. 146
Ceramics ................................................................................................ 150
Glass ...................................................................................................... 152
Miscellaneous and Small Finds ............................................................... 154
6.4. Archaeological Excavations – Port Arthur ........................................................... 154
6.4.1. The Commandant’s Residence (Carnarvon Hotel and Mrs.
Brimage’s Boarding House) .................................................................... 154
Archaeological Excavations .................................................................... 165
6.4.2. Junior Medical Officer’s Residence (Tasman Villa & Hotel Arthur) .......... 168
Archaeological Excavations .................................................................... 174
6.4.3. Roman Catholic Chaplain’s House (Hotel Arthur) .................................... 178
Archaeological Projects........................................................................... 179
6.5. Comparative Assemblages ................................................................................. 180
6.6. Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 181
Chapter 7. Archaeology of Tourist Accommodation at Port Arthur .................... 182
7.1. Introduction – Hotel Assemblages from Port Arthur ............................................ 182
7.2. Ceramics ............................................................................................................ 182
7.2.1. Form and Functional Class ..................................................................... 183
7.2.2. Ware and Decoration .............................................................................. 188
Teawares ................................................................................................ 194
Plates ...................................................................................................... 200
Serving Vessels ...................................................................................... 203
7.3. Glass .................................................................................................................. 205
7.4. Miscellaneous Finds ........................................................................................... 220
7.5. Artefact Class ..................................................................................................... 232
An Appropriately Decorated Setting ........................................................ 235
Antiques and the Orient .................................................................................. 236
Personal Hygiene.................................................................................... 238
Toys ........................................................................................................ 239
Tourist Items ........................................................................................... 243
Medicinal Items ....................................................................................... 246
7.6. Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 248
Chapter 8. Advertising Port Arthur’s Hotels and Guesthouses ........................... 252
8.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 252
8.2. Methodology ....................................................................................................... 252
Newspapers ............................................................................................ 252
Guidebooks ............................................................................................. 255
8.3. Newspaper Advertisements ................................................................................ 256
8.3.1. Carnarvon Hotel ...................................................................................... 256
8.3.2. The Tasman Villa Hotel ........................................................................... 265
8.3.3. Mrs. Brimage’s Boarding House or ‘The Commandant’s House’ ............. 269
8.3.4. Kerslake’s Hotel Arthur ........................................................................... 270
8.4. Guidebooks and Hotel Directories ...................................................................... 271
8.4.1. Carnarvon Hotel (1885-1904) .................................................................. 272
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8.4.2. The Tasman Villa (1899-1921) ................................................................ 273
8.4.3. The Commandant’s House (Mrs. Brimage’s Boarding House) (1917-
1939) ...................................................................................................... 276
8.4.4. Kerslake’s Hotel Arthur (1921-1959) ....................................................... 279
Chapter 9. Discussion and Conclusions ............................................................... 287
9.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 287
9.2. A Dark Place ...................................................................................................... 287
9.2.1. Accepting the Convict Past ..................................................................... 289
9.2.2. Being ‘Carnarvon’ ................................................................................... 291
9.2.3. A Variably Dark Place ............................................................................. 293
9.3. A Romantic Place ............................................................................................... 295
9.3.1. A Beautiful, Rugged Place ...................................................................... 295
9.3.2. The Romance of Ruins ........................................................................... 296
9.4. An Authentic Place ............................................................................................. 298
9.4.1. Benign History ......................................................................................... 298
9.4.2. Authenticity and Inauthenticity in Tourist Experience............................... 300
9.5. A Place for Tourists ............................................................................................ 302
9.5.1. Class and Tourism .................................................................................. 302
Conspicuous Consumption ..................................................................... 303
Premium Alcohol ............................................................................................. 303
Tobacco and Other Vices ................................................................................ 304
Avoidance of Vice ................................................................................... 304
Taking Tea .............................................................................................. 305
Dining ..................................................................................................... 308
9.5.2. A Place for Families ................................................................................ 313
9.5.3. A Place of Recreation and Leisure .......................................................... 316
9.5.4. Tourism-Specific Material Culture ........................................................... 320
9.5.5. A Place to Convalesce ............................................................................ 322
9.6. Identifying Tourist Places (Towards a Material Signature for Tourism) ............... 325
9.6.1. Alcohol .................................................................................................... 326
9.6.2. Condiment Bottles ................................................................................... 330
9.6.3. Tablewares and Serving Vessels ............................................................ 332
9.6.4. Standardization of Tourist Experience in Mass Tourism .......................... 334
9.6.5. Directions for a Material Signature for Tourism ....................................... 335
9.7. A Changing Place – Moving Towards Mass Tourism .......................................... 339
References……………………………………………………………… ............................ 342
Appendix A. Analysis of Museum Collections ...................................................... 359
Appendix B Analysis of PAHSMA Postcard Collection ....................................... 363
Appendix C Comparative Collections – Methodology and Sites .......................... 367
Methdology – Comparative Collections............................................................... 367
The Agricultural Hotel (1865-1910), Haymarket, NSW ........................................ 367
Red Cow Inn (1862), Penrith, NSW .................................................................... 368
Queen’s Arms Inn (1838-c1900), Rouse Hill, NSW ............................................ 369
Trevathan Hotel (1886-c1925), Cooktown, QLD ................................................. 370
Government House Stables (1859-1912), Sydney, NSW ................................... 370
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