Australian Convict Sites Explained

Image Upright:1.2
Location:Australia
Criteria:(iv), (vi)
Id:1306
Coordinates:-33.3783°N 150.9944°W
Year:2010
Area:1502.51ha
Buffer Zone:3746.68ha

Australian Convict Sites is a World Heritage property consisting of 11 remnant penal sites originally built within the British Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries on fertile Australian coastal strips at Sydney, Tasmania, Norfolk Island, and Fremantle; now representing "...the best surviving examples of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts".[1]

Penal sites included

The 11 penal sites constituting the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage listed property are:[2] [3]

  1. Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area ("KAVHA"), Norfolk Island.[4]
  2. Old Government House and Domain ("Old Government House"), New South Wales.[5]
  3. Hyde Park Barracks, New South Wales.[6]
  4. Brickendon and Woolmers Estates ("Brickendon-Woolmers"), Tasmania.[7] [8]
  5. Darlington Probation Station ("Darlington"), Tasmania.[9]
  6. Old Great North Road, New South Wales.[10]
  7. Cascades Female Factory ("Cascades"), Tasmania.[11]
  8. Port Arthur Historic Site ("Port Arthur"), Tasmania.[12]
  9. Coal Mines Historic Site ("Coal Mines"), Tasmania.[13]
  10. Cockatoo Island Convict Site ("Cockatoo Island"), New South Wales.[14]
  11. Fremantle Prison, Western Australia.[15]

These properties were all individually included on the Australian National Heritage List before inclusion on the World Heritage list.

History of World Heritage listing

Out of over 3,000 convict sites remaining in Australia, the 11 constituting the Australian Convict Sites were selected as the pre-eminent examples of the world's convict era satisfying World Heritage selection criteria IV & VI, as follows:

World Heritage selection criteria
Criteria numberDescriptionCitation
Criterion IV Ensemble of buildings/architecture etc., illustrating significant stage in human history "an exceptional example of the forced migration of convicts - an important stage of human history."[16]
Criterion VI Directly or tangibly associated with events etc., of outstanding universal significance "an extraordinary example of global ideas and developments associated with the punishment and reform of the criminal elements of humanity during the Age of Enlightenment and the modern era."

Preparations began in 1995, and a World Heritage nomination was first made in January 2008. That attempt failed, and the nomination was subsequently reworked.[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Australian Convict Sites . World Heritage List . UNESCO . 2010 . 2 August 2010.
  2. News: World Heritage Committee approves Australian Convict Sites as places of importance . Chalmers, Emma . Martin, Saray . 1 August 2010 . The Courier–Mail . Australia . 2 August 2010.
  3. Web site: Australian Convict Sites . Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities . World heritage places . 16 December 2010 . 4 August 2010 .
  4. Web site: National Heritage Places - Kingston and Arthurs Vale Historic Area (KAVHA). Department of the Environment and. Energy. 24 April 2008. www.environment.gov.au.
  5. Web site: National Heritage Places - Old Government House and Government Domain, Parramatta. Department of the Environment and. Energy. 24 April 2008. www.environment.gov.au.
  6. Web site: National Heritage Places - Hyde Park Barracks. Department of the Environment and. Energy. 24 April 2008. www.environment.gov.au.
  7. Web site: National Heritage Places - Brickendon Estate. Department of the Environment and. Energy. 24 April 2008. www.environment.gov.au.
  8. Web site: National Heritage Places - Woolmers Estate. Department of the Environment and. Energy. 24 April 2008. www.environment.gov.au.
  9. Web site: National Heritage Places - Darlington Probation Station. Department of the Environment and. Energy. 24 April 2008. www.environment.gov.au.
  10. Web site: National Heritage Places - Old Great North Road. Department of the Environment and. Energy. 22 November 2013. www.environment.gov.au.
  11. Web site: Cascades Female Factory . National heritage places . 15 May 2008 . 29 April 2012 . Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities .
  12. Web site: Port Arthur: more information . 15 May 2008 . 7 September 2012 . Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities . National heritage places .
  13. Web site: National Heritage Places - Coal Mines Historic Site. Department of the Environment and. Energy. 24 April 2008. www.environment.gov.au.
  14. Web site: Cockatoo Island: more information . 15 May 2008 . 8 September 2012 . Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities . National heritage places .
  15. Web site: National Heritage Places - Fremantle Prison. Department of the Environment and. Energy. 24 April 2008. www.environment.gov.au.
  16. Web site: Executive summary . Commonwealth of Australia: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts . January 2008 . 978-0-642-55390-4 . Australian convict sites: World Heritage Nomination . 5 August 2010 .
  17. Witcomb . Andrea . Albert . Marie-Theres . Richon . Marielle . Viñals . Marie José . Witcomb . Andrea . 3 . Tensions between World Heritage and local values: the case of Fremantle Prison (Australia) . World heritage papers: Community Development through World Heritage . 2012 . 31 . 62 . 26 September 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140829222225/https://whc.unesco.org/document/117040 . 29 August 2014 . live . United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) . Paris, France . PDF . 978-92-3-001024-9.

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