Port Arthur is Australia's nineteenth Century Alcatraz. A former convict settlement on the extreme southern edge of Tasmania – Van Diemen's Land – surrounded by water - and thought inescapable. British criminals were sent here as part of the system of 'Transportation' – the softer option to being hung at home! In reality most were just petty thieves but the conditions were extremely harsh and many perished. Today the heritage listed site is inhabited by the ghosts of those that suffered and died here. In a macabre twist of fate it was also the site of Australia's worst mass murder in 1996 with 35 people killed and 25 seriously wounded. Today it is a haunted place, but highly 'sanitised' and always full of tourists. Gigi used infra-red photography and Robin used a High Dynamic Range false-colour technique to attempt to capture something of the eerie atmosphere and echoes of the ghastly events which took place here.
© Gigi & Robin Williams Photography
