Cascades Female Factory Historic Site

A must visit cultural attraction. Because there is very little physical evidence left, it's best to take the short guided tour. Our guide was brilliant. She conveyed the terrible reality of life in this place with humour and respect. The facility is modern, clean and informative. The shop has a plethora of great feminist writing, both new and old. Take your time and absorb.

Much in little. Fascinating guided tour of this female prison. Our guide Marcel was warm, welcoming and knowledgeable engaging us with the tales of some on the women who came to reside here. Although not much of the original structure remains, the guided tour gave us a visualisation of the era, people and conditions. An important record of history

Was very educational to visit this UNESCO site. The staff are very well informed about what the women here would have endured. It shows everyone a really clear glimpse of what life would have been like for these misfortune women and babies. Well worth the visit and the guid red d tour.

Very interesting self guided tour. (Tour guide available but we didn't use). Moving tribute to the children born there - so many didn't make it to 3years of age ;-( those that did were taken away never to see mothers again.

Definitely a must see in Hobart. Amazing tour guides and a ton of history to learn. They have an audio series if you’d like to wander on your own.

Visiting the cascades female factory was a very moving place. We did the easy self guided tour using your phone. Throughout the area follow the guide in the book given to you & it allows you to move about at your own pace. There are guided tours available. You are given a playing card ( 1 of 52) with a person on the back. Mine was the King of spades. Once you locate your card within the facility it tells you all about that person. A unique way to keep you looking around & learning about some of the women who were sent there.

I wasn’t expecting the tour to be this good given the relative emptiness of the factory. The tour was made by our guide who was an outstanding story teller. We felt like we were with the women of the time hearing the stories of such a sad and challenging entry to Van Diemens land. Highly recommended.

Reading the history was good, and seeing the cell sizes. Audio was available and a tour, but we didn't do it. Knowing they had their babies with them for 3 months of age, then giving them up must have been hard

This UNESCO World heritage site is the best place to connect with a lesser known stories of Australia's female convicts. The story is told through bios and artifacts of the displacement, mistreatment and forced migration of convict women & girls, and their contribution to colonisation throughout the history of colonial Australia to the present day. On the journey women were divided into 2 groups depending on their behavior. The class system regulated clothing & jobs of the women while in the factory. The more trustworthy women were employed as cooks, task overseers & hospital attendants. Second class convicts made clothes for the establishment and prepared & mended linen. The crime class was sentenced to the washtub, laundering for the factory, the orphan school and the penitentiary; they also carded and spun wool. All of these tasks were subject to change at the discretion of the Principal Superintendent.

A must do for people interested in Australia's history. The highlight of this place is the interactive performance at 12 pm each day called "Her Story" which is performed by 2 actors who take you briefly through the experience of a prisoner there called "Mary". It was moving and disturbing. A story that needs to be told. A must do