SARAH ISLAND

Sarah Island was home to the most inhumane penitentiary that ever existed in the days of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania's former name). Founded in 1822 (closed in 1833), it was totally isolated and housed the colony's most recalcitrant prisoners. These convicts were employed in the cutting and exploitation of Huon pine, a prime timber for shipbuilding. Escape was extremely difficult, and few succeeded. To do so, they not only had to swim across the harbor, but also through impenetrable forests.