This, at first glance, strange, but often mentioned prefix to the name of the country sounds like a “prison continent.” However, in reality, how many countries are there in the world whose eleven prisons have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List? Or is there another state that has issued a collection of gold coins dedicated to the domestic penitentiary system, which was done by the Central Bank of the Commonwealth of Australia - that is the official name of the country, in 2012? And so we will take this series as a guide.
Prison numismatics
The history of prisons in Australia and Oceania began in the eighteenth century, when the first batch of convicts were landed on the shores of the continent in the Botany Bay area, who were forced to spend the rest of their lives away from their native Great Britain - laying roads in the bushes, building new berths in ports. Along with them came an army of officials, who were housed in a farm building that remains to this day under the name “Old Government House” and is minted on one of the coins.
So, the first prison camps appeared on the southern coast of Australia, which later became known as the state of South Wales, and convict coal mines on the island of Tasmania, also immortalized on a coin. Three more coins are dedicated to the government institution "Hyde Park Barracks", a convict prison in and Casnade women's prison. The five-dollar series was completed by Fremantle Prison, one of the very first prisons built to house especially dangerous criminals. Its history began in 1850, when 75 convicts on the ship Scindian, which arrived on the shores of the fifth continent, began construction that lasted nine years. After some time, again with the help of prisoners, a unique kilometer-long hydraulic structure was built under the prison - a system of tunnels with drainage tanks. And at the beginning of the twentieth century, when during the “gold rush” the number of serious crimes sharply increased, a block was added to the main citadel in which death rows were located and sentences were carried out. The last person to be hanged here was serial killer Eric Edgar Cooke, in 1964.
Unfortunately, the inattention of prison authorities to the conditions of detention of prisoners led to tragic consequences. In January 1988, when a fifty-degree heat wave hit Australia, due to the lack of air conditioning, several inmates of the cells died from heatstroke, and the rest started a riot, during the suppression of which several more prisoners died. Among other things, due to the fire that broke out, a significant part of the premises received significant damage.
After this incident, the authorities decided to transfer prisoners to the renovated and expanded Perth prison, and turn Fremantle into a museum. Now visitors can get acquainted with the history of the prison and its inhabitants, but also get married in the Anglican Church. The building of the former hospital housed the Children's Literary Club, College of Arts and art Gallery paintings created by prisoners during art therapy sessions.
Pioneers in shackles
Strangely enough, it was not the most hardened criminals who were sent here first. It’s just that the prisons of Foggy Albion turned out to be so overcrowded that it was decided to send all prisoners there indiscriminately - it doesn’t matter whether he was a murderer or a petty swindler. But the fate for both was the same - shackles, an iron collar with spikes, punishment in the form of flogging or being stripped naked and chained to a pole under the scorching rays of the sun. However, those who could pay the overseers not only did not spend the night in miserable shacks, but according to the “introduction” of the authorities, those who were not fit for physical labor could spend all their time in good-quality houses built at their expense.
Female convicts, who were sent to a nearby weaving factory, also enjoyed relative privileges. However, some of them, selling their bodies, successfully married their regular clients, often fellow convicts.
How are we sitting?
The main prison in Australia today is rightly called the Parramatta prison in the state of New South Wales, where prisoners who have committed the most serious crimes serve their sentences. We will return to this list later, but for now it is worth noting that the inhabitants of this prison can afford things at public expense that are beyond the means of other ordinary taxpayers. For example, inserting an artificial jaw, having cosmetic surgery, or even changing your gender. The rules here were so liberal that the administration even allowed people to receive parcels with condoms for men and latex wipes for women, and even Cell phones. However, as it turned out in 2005, many prisoners, mainly from among the “godfathers,” tried to use mobile phones to lead their groups, even from behind bars. The police radio interception service identified 17 cases of such negotiations in just one month. After which the guards conducted wholesale searches, confiscating cell phones. The notified occupants of the cells tried to hide the tubes in different places. Men - by disguising them in pieces of bread, and women - by hiding them in... intimate places. It turned out to be difficult to combat the penetration of this infection into the cells, so the prison director ordered the installation of “jammers.” It is also curious that after the introduction of this ban in another prison, Rimutaka, the guards organized a business. Some sold the pipes to prisoners, while others confiscated them after a while and then sold them again.
It also turned out that during the Christmas period, numerous Santa Clauses brought various gifts to prisoners. During the operation carried out by the prison authorities, in just two weeks, dozens of bladed weapons were confiscated from the Father Frosts - knives, machetes, sharpeners and even (just in case) ladies' false acrylic nails.
Last year, it was proposed at government level to close this oldest penitentiary institution, founded in 1852, and turn it into hotel. But so far this year they have decided to reconstruct another nineteenth-century prison - Pentbridge - into residential and shopping complexes.
By Russian standards, the food of prisoners can be equated to that of a sanatorium. Moreover, the menu claims to be international. Breakfast is typical English: scrambled eggs, oatmeal, bacon, sausages, buns, coffee, tea or juices. But for lunch, prison chefs can offer dishes from Malay, Japanese or Chinese cuisine. The majority of the diet consists of vegetables grown in prison farms. Agricultural production is especially developed in the Banbury prison, from where vegetables are supplied to other prisons. For example, in 2008, a pumpkin weighing 135 kilograms was grown here, which not only won a prize at a food exhibition, but was also used as the main ingredient for soup served for lunch to the residents of this correctional facility.
Without the right to pardon
We will not dwell in detail on judicial system Australia for the reason that it can be described as “legal chaos”. Surprisingly, this civilized country still does not have a single criminal code. The only document that is valid in all states determines the degree of responsibility for committing state crimes. But at the county and district level, the main legal documents in accordance with which crimes are classified, be it murder or petty theft, are special acts. Yes, in addition, the legal proceedings themselves are extremely confusing: in the country there are county and district courts, magistrate (intermediate), small sessions courts, family courts - regarding divorces. In the state of Victoria there is even a special tribunal that deals with controversial issues arising during construction. Several states also have “industrial” tribunals that conduct arbitration in resolving conflicts between entrepreneurs. True, sentences for serious crimes come into force only after they are approved by the Supreme Court.
But the laws in the country are quite harsh. Russians today are waiting with interest to see what amendments deputies will make to laws that will tighten responsibility for automobile recklessness, including for driving vehicle drunk. This problem has already been solved in Australia. In October 2012, former kickboxing champion Gürkan Ozkon sped through a red traffic light in his Mazda racing car at 180 kilometers per hour in Melbourne. So, the district court did not accept as mitigating circumstances either the fact that the trip ended without serious consequences, or the fact that the Turk was an honored guest at the Australian Martial Arts Association. A traffic violator was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for dangerous driving. Moreover, parole can occur only after two years.
And there is a category of convicts who are not eligible for early release at all. These are, firstly, members of the Mark Hayden gang from the town of Snowtown, who are serving their sentences in a special unit of the Prarramatta prison. The leader and three of his accomplices were convicted of luring victims to a rented former bank building starting in the mid-1990s. After which representatives of the so-called sexual minorities were killed after torture, their bodies were dismembered, and the remains were preserved in barrels. So, according to the leader, they “cleansed the world of filth.” Hayden will spend the rest of his life behind bars; his friends received sentences ranging from 26 to 48 years in prison. Only with a note on the sentence “Without the right to pardon.”
Barra John Watts and his girlfriend Valli Fay Back are now in the same prison. These two slackers, who were engaged in fraud and theft, having smoked “weed”, decided to use seven-year-old Shiang King for their sexual pleasures. When they were traveling around Australia, in the small town of Noosa they kidnapped a girl, and then, having abused her, Watts killed the baby.
Vincent Farrow also became a kind of prisoner of this prison. At the age of twenty, he organized a gang that was engaged in robberies and murders, but thanks to the efforts of lawyers, it was not possible to prove the young man’s guilt as the leader of a criminal group. But the judge still gave him a substantial sentence of 55 years in prison for... participation in a criminal act, which, through the efforts of the prosecution, was classified as gang rape. As the state's Attorney General Bob Dubus noted, this is the harshest sentence handed down in Australia for such an act.
But the most famous prisoner of the prison remains the great-grandson of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill - Nicholas Bartan, who, having settled in Australia, found nothing better than to start producing ecstasy drugs, supplying them not only to clubs and discos, but also to prisons. As a result of the police operation, his underground laboratory was liquidated. The extraction of 55 kilograms of raw materials for the production of the potion, stamping equipment and production manager, New Zealander Ross Woodrith. Both were sent to jail, and their former buyers were not depressed for long. After the supply channel for the potion was blocked, for example, in the same Parramatta prison where the accomplices ended up, prisoners began breeding poisonous black widow spiders, from the extract of which, diluted with water, they made a drug.
And in the Goulburn Prison prison, things got to the point where the prison administration, which was happy with the desire of its charges to work in greenhouses, was unpleasantly surprised to learn that the “agronomists” were growing hemp there, which was then processed into marijuana.
However, the prisoners did not grieve for long over the absence of “dope.” One of them came up with a brilliant plan. The fact is that one of Australia’s troubles is the rapidly expanding range of frogs, which devour beneficial insects, and which have been declared a total hunt. So, a smart prisoner suggested to the authorities that they start sewing leather shorts in the prison workshop. The go-ahead was received, the work began to boil, but the final product was in no hurry to appear. It turned out that from the skin of a poisonous amphibian, craftsmen brewed a drug that was in no way inferior in quality to the drug LSD.
Beware, Al-Qaeda!
The psychosis that gripped Europe and the United States in connection with the activities of terrorist organizations did not bypass Australia. The authorities even designated the Barwon prison near Melbourne to hold such terrorists. For example, Jack Roche, a British citizen, spent nine children there. An Englishman who converted to Islam was accused of trying to organize a terrorist attack at the Israeli embassy. During his arrest, he himself admitted that he had undergone training in one of the al-Qaeda camps in Pakistan and even met with bin Laden.
However, after serving his sentence, it was decided to release him early on the condition that Jack would regularly report to the police station to register, and that his telephone and Internet communications would be monitored by Australian counterintelligence. Another “Australian Islamist,” taxi driver Joseph Thomson, was much less fortunate. He was sentenced to 25 years for participation in preparing an explosion at a nuclear power plant. He was unable to serve his entire sentence because in April 2006 he was beaten to death by fellow inmates.
By the way, the most extravagant convict committed the crime from this prison. Robert Cole, in order to gain freedom, made a hole in the wall, but due to his fullness he could not squeeze through it. And then he went on a diet. After several months of fasting, he lost 14 kilograms, and then carried out his planned escape.
Sergey Uranov
Based on newspaper materials
"Behind Bars" (No. 5 2013)
Sue Paull photographed inmates at Australia's most notorious prisons for 15 years while teaching them art. Her stunning photographs reveal the world of murderers and rapists hidden behind bars.
Before becoming a prison art teacher and photographer, Poll worked in a school system whose rules she didn't like. When she came to classes with especially dangerous prisoners, she felt quite at ease.
Under her leadership, hundreds of prisoners painted paintings, made pottery and sculptures, which were later exhibited at the Long Bay prison entrance and in many galleries overseas.
While working in the penitentiary system, Poll began photographing prisoners, first only in the art studio, and then outside it. Her stunning black and white photographs provide a glimpse into the hidden world of Australian prisons between 1993 and the late 2000s.
Using a documentary style in many of his photographs, Paull nevertheless draws attention to beautiful images, such as the tattoos of prisoners and their physical strength, vital to survival behind bars.
Prisoner Terry stands in front of one of his paintings entitled "Long Bay Hilton Foyer".
A prisoner on the exercise floor at Long Bay Correctional Complex in 1993 during the daily exercise routine that many prisoners do to keep fit in the rather dangerous prison environment.
Officer Jane in full gear at Goulburn Correctional Centre, where a female officer saved male officers during a prisoner uprising in 2002, suffering stab wounds and severe head injuries.
Prisoner Tom Foster shows off his powerful physique and tattoos while working in a garden statue workshop at Silverwater General Security Prison, where he was transferred from Long Bay Prison.
A guard on duty in 1996 on the top tier of Parramatta Correctional Centre, which opened in 1798 and closed in 2011, an old crumbling sandstone prison infested with rats.
Amanda and Michael in 1993 at Long Bay Prison, one of 34 correctional centers in New South Wales where transgender relationships are part of prison life.
Convicted murderer Geoffrey Websdale, described by Sue Poll as a "superb specialist", next to one of his works at Long Bay prison in 2004. In 1989, while a combine trainee, he shot and wounded two people at a combine camp, earning a maximum 25-year sentence.
Prisoner Wayne Brown, wearing prison green sweatpants, poses for prison art teacher and photographer Sue Poll inside the Long Bay Correctional Complex in 1997. Poll was intrigued by his tattoos, which included the word “Mum” on his right arm.
Barbed wire and steel bars lined the gates of the old Long Bay Correctional Complex in 1997, which then housed high-risk prisoners, including murderers and rapists. Later, the prison began to accept less dangerous criminals.
Prisoner Andrew in the statue workshop at Silverwater Prison in 1997, during one of the final stages before release.
A shirtless prisoner sunbathing at Long Bay Prison in 1994
An armed guard at Tower 8 of the Long Bay Correctional Complex in 1997. Only the guards in the tower can carry weapons and, if necessary, shoot fugitives or rioters.
An inmate at Long Bay Prison exercises in the yard in 1993.
A female jailer at the gate of the Long Bay Correctional Complex in 2007, through which all guards must pass to enter the working part of the prison.
Prisoners make a variety of sharpening points from any found pieces of metal and even from toothbrushes.
Prisoner Steve shows off his tattoos at Long Bay Correctional Center in Sydney in 1994.
Segregated courtyards at Parklea Correctional Center in 1996 for violent and violent prisoners.
A prisoner on the training ground at Long Bay Prison in 1994.
Sue Paull worked with prisoners as an art teacher. She found creative talents in hundreds of especially dangerous criminals.
Sue Poll photographed some of the prisoners' tattoos.
A wedding between a woman and an inmate at Long Bay Correctional Complex in 1996, before authorities banned weddings in prisons with maximum level security. The few that take place behind bars must now be resolved by a commissioner.
Some of the tattoos are quite difficult to decipher.
Prisoner Tom Foster had a flower depicted in his painting at Long Bay Correctional Complex in 1997.
The interior of Wing 9 of Long Bat Prison in 1997 shows cell doors during the reconstruction period when inmates were moved to other prisons.
A civil servant, smoking a cigarette, who kept records of wages, poses for Sue Poll at Long Bay Prison in 1993.
A female guard armed with a rifle at Goulburn Correctional Center in 2004, two years after a riot in which 30 prisoners with homemade weapons attacked staff, injuring seven guards and nearly killing one.
Aboriginal prisoner Doug Pearce with one of his paintings. His works are now in collections in Canada, the USA, France and the UK.
Inmate clothing hanging on railings at Bathurst Correctional Center in 2000.
Young prisoner Simon at Long Bay Prison in 1993.
Aboriginal Jason stands in the shadow of barbed wire from his large-scale painting outside the art studio at Long Bay Prison in 1999.
Each continent, each country and state is amazing, wonderful and unique in its own way. On any continent, every nation has its own characteristics, traditions and which will be very interesting for any tourist. Thanks to these features, a vivid and complete picture of a particular area is formed.
This article presents useful and very Interesting Facts about Australia.
Country-continent
Australia is a very large country. It ranks sixth in the world in terms of the size of its territory. It is so huge that it occupies an entire continent. Its territory occupies more than seven million square kilometers.
Interesting facts about Australia regarding geographical location countries are undoubtedly three oceans. The mainland is washed immediately by the Indian, Pacific and Southern.
A huge part of the country is occupied by deserts and semi-desert areas. The most famous of them are Bolshaya Peschanaya and Victoria. From a bird's eye view, Australia looks like a bleak and red desert.
The country is indeed considered the driest continent, as it receives only 500 mm of precipitation per year.
But despite all this, the mainland is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of quality and standard of living.
The most famous Australian animal is the kangaroo. It is a symbol of the country. Australia is full of them. When it gets dark, they, attracted by the headlights, go out onto the highway and jump under the wheels of cars. That's why Australians even have a special "kangaroo" sign to warn drivers about danger on the road. Mostly Australian kangaroos are small in size - up to 60 centimeters. But there are also larger individuals - up to 3 meters.
The most dangerous animals in Australia are crocodiles. The northern part of the country is simply teeming with them. And hardly a week goes by before accidents occur involving these animals. Alligators simply eat the people they come across. There are plenty of crocodiles on the continent. The most famous is the Australian saltwater one. It is found in salty sea water and is the largest of all species found on earth. An adult crocodile can weigh a ton (!) and reach 3-4 meters in length.
There are quite well-known horror stories about poisonous predators from which hundreds of people die. However, these are just stories. Since 1979, no person has died from a spider bite in Australia. So you can rest easy.
The same goes for sharks. They are not uncommon off the coast of the Australian continent. Yes, they are dangerous, but if you behave carefully and do not provoke them, then everything will work out. Sharks are non-conflict creatures; they never attack first.
What other animals are there in Australia? You will learn interesting facts about its inhabitants if you visit local zoos. For example, have you ever heard of an animal called a wombat? And this is the continent. A small guinea pig that looks very similar to a wild boar. Do you know about the Tasmanian devil? This is an Australian dog breed that resembles the French Bulldog.
River of life
The most big river Australia is Murray. It flows in the eastern part of the continent and reaches a length of 2570 kilometers. The river originates in the Australian Alps and flows into Indian Ocean. On its way to the sea, it flows through a variety of environments: cities, agricultural land, etc.
Australia's largest river is the most “alive” of all bodies of water. Frogs, fish, ducks, crayfish, snakes, and many other animals live here. The river is so diverse that every representative of the animal world can find a place for themselves here. Proud swans swim in the clear crystal waters, and frogs croak and snakes and lizards crawl in the wetlands.
The Murray River is home to a wide variety of fish species: trout, cod, golden perch, Australian smelt, minnows and many others.
The only things higher than mountains are mountains
Interesting facts about Australia are undoubtedly its lowest and highest geographical points. So, on the one hand, the continent is below sea level when compared with other land areas of the Earth. The lowest point is Lake Eyre (15 meters below sea level). By the way, it is the driest in the world. It is covered with a thick four-meter layer of salt, and there is absolutely no water in it.
On the other hand, there are the Alps, on whose territory the highest mountain in Australia is located - Kosciuszko (2228 meters). This is the highest point of the Green Continent.
Why is the highest mountain in Australia named after the Polish general and hero of Belarus Tadeusz Kosciusz? The fact is that its discovery was made by the Polish geologist Strzelecki in 1840. By the way, initially it was not called that, but bore the name Townsend. “Kosciuszko” was a neighboring mountain, which was then considered the highest. But later, when it was scientifically proven that Townsend is 20 meters higher, the Australians changed the names of the mountains so that highest point bore the name of the hero of Poland. They did this as a sign of respect for the discoverer.
City life
The largest cities in Australia are Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Hobat. And none of the above is the capital. The fact is that the capital of Australia - Canberra - is completely small town. It is home to just over 350 thousand people.
The largest Australian city is Sydney. About five million people live there. Next comes Melbourne, with a population of about four million. By the way, Melbourne was previously the capital of Australia. Today this city is only cultural capital continent. Brisbane, a major industrial center of the mainland, is home to about two million residents. In Perth and Adelaide - one and a half million each.
Gastronomic facts
What does Australia offer travelers? Interesting facts about the culinary characteristics of the country also cannot be ignored. First of all, we should talk about a traditional Australian dish - Vegemite. The name sounds mysterious, doesn't it? But in reality everything is much simpler. This is ordinary yeast spread on unleavened bread. The pungent smell of the brown mass and its salty taste will not appeal to every traveler. The same cannot be said about the Australians themselves, who simply adore their traditional “pate”.
Another unusual edible feature of the country is the basket-shaped pies. Inside there is meat filling. It looks beautiful and tastes good.
Sights of Sydney
One of the most amazing and beautiful buildings in the world is the Sydney Opera House. Its opening took place in 1973 by order of Queen Victoria. This unusual building is rightfully considered the most beautiful building of the twentieth century.
The Sydney Television Tower is the tallest structure in the entire South. Its height is amazing - 309 meters in height! Thousands of visitors climb the Tower every year to observation deck admire the panorama of the city, the heights opening before them and the largest bridge in the world - the Harbor Bridge.
Sydney is also home to the world's largest aquarium. Its huge number of underwater tunnels will not leave anyone indifferent. There is a lot to see here - more than six thousand species of various representatives of the deep sea are at your service!
What else to see in Australia?
The main attraction of the continent is the Bolshoi Barrier Reef. This is a real miracle of nature. The largest coral reef system in the world. 900 islands stretch over a vast territory - more than 3,000 kilometers. By the way, it is here, on one of the islands, that the most remote mailbox is located.
Another natural miracle of Australia is pink. Scientists still cannot explain the reason for its scarlet color.
Locals
The inhabitants of the continent themselves will tell you interesting facts about Australia. By the way, mostly Europeans live here - more than 90 percent of the total population. These are mainly Irish and British.
The residents themselves call themselves by the funny nickname “Ozzie”. They also call the American dollar the same way. It’s strange, do they really associate themselves with money? But we don't understand this.
By the way, Aborigines still exist in Australia. They occupy five percent of the total population. These black Australians live in remote reserves and settlements.
Australians are very cheerful people. They love to joke and laugh. And in general, they strive to live and breathe to the fullest. This is probably why they are so friendly and hospitable. In addition, they love to travel. Not only on our own continent, but throughout the whole world.
Every year, Australia hosts a wide variety of international celebrations to attract overseas visitors.
Unusual facts
1. Only in Australia does the flying doctor medical service operate. They provide only emergency care to patients living in areas remote from the city. This service is a kind of symbol of the country. After all, she's talking about high level medicine and life in general.
2. Australia is a country of sheep. In 2000, more than 100 million of these animals were counted in the country. It turns out that the number of “sheep population” is five times higher than the human population.
3. This is the largest pasture in the world. Still would! There are so many sheep in Australia! But they need somewhere to graze. The largest pasture is called Anna Creek and covers an area of 35,000 square kilometers.
4. Nondescript capital. Canberra is a small and unremarkable city. Unlike Sydney or Melbourne. Then why her? This is a kind of compromise. The city is located exactly halfway between Melbourne and Sydney. As they say, let there be no disagreements.
5. There is more snow in the mountains of Australia than in Swiss Alps. The fact is that a huge amount of snow falls in the Australian Alps, much more than in Switzerland. Therefore, winter holidays are very popular here.
6. A continent of prisoners. Australia was discovered by Great Britain and became its colony. England used the remote island to exile criminals. Therefore, those who survived a long sea voyage in dirty ship holds actually became the first inhabitants of this country. So a quarter of Australia's population are descendants of British prisoners.
7. The largest part of Antarctica belongs to Australia. In 1933, Australia's Antarctic territory was officially transferred to it by England. This is a huge area - about six million square kilometers.
Australia: interesting facts for children
1. This Green Continent was discovered by James Cook in 1770.
2. The most common animal in Australia is the kangaroo. It is home to the largest number of snakes in the whole world.
3. Australia is the smallest continent. At the same time she is the most big island in the world.
4. In Australia they speak English language. And mostly Europeans live here. Although there is also an indigenous population - aborigines.
5. The main architectural value of the continent is the Sydney Opera House. It is built right in the harbor and is surrounded by water on three sides. The roof of the building resembles a ship with sails or the wings of a swan.
Once a huge prison, Australia now ranks first in the world's happiness rankings.
Story modern Australia began in 1606, when the reckless Dutch captain Janszoon landed on an unknown land and named it “New Zealand” - in honor of the Dutch province.
Here this name did not take root, but later it went to the islands east of Australia. The Dutch did not take root either: the local population met them with hostility, several sailors died. Having given the order to raise the anchors, the captain wrote in the ship's log: “Nothing good can be done there.”
This conclusion was confirmed by his compatriot Captain Karstenz: “These shores are unsuitable for life, they are inhabited by poor and pitiful creatures.”
The largest prison in the world
Well, the Dutch have always been good sailors, but absolutely no warriors. The British are a different matter. James Cook was sent to extend the power of the crown to unknown lands- he spread it. With fire and sword, the English colonists won food and water for themselves on the Australian coast. The Dutch probably saw this only as confirmation of Captain Janszoon's words.
In those years, it already became clear that Great Britain had bitten off more land for itself than it could actually develop. The only use that has been found for Australia is a beautiful prison, well isolated from civilization (thousands of miles of water).
Already 18 years after Cook’s first visit, those who would later be delicately called “stowaways on Her Majesty’s ships”—convicts—landed ashore. Several tens of thousands of embittered people, often seriously ill, dying at hard labor, expelling the Aborigines and infecting them with diseases unknown in Australia - became the basis of the future of Australian society.
FOR REFERENCE : Now, in the 10s of the 21st century, Australia ranks first in the world happiness rating Better Life Index from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. GDP per capita is off the charts for 45 thousand dollars - a place in the world's top ten, of the large countries only the USA is ahead. 84% of Australians say they experience positive emotions “much more often” than negative ones.
How the hell did they do this?
At one time Australia (as well as New Zealand) began to rise on gold and wool. Convicts began raising sheep, and later it literally became a national occupation (“Australia rides a sheep”) and until the end of World War II provided the main influx of funds into the country. Suffice it to say that in the 1880s, a unique “dog fence” was built here, more than 5 thousand kilometers long (more than enough to block off the European part of Russia from north to south), protecting pastures from dingoes.
Like New Zealand, Australia experienced a gold boom in the 1870s. But if easily accessible deposits quickly depleted, then in general Australian reserves have not yet become depleted. This is a real world pantry: almost the entire periodic table is mined here.
Australia secured its de facto independence from the British crown thanks to... meat freezing technology. After the opportunity arose to export not only wool, but also other parts of sheep, a country with a well-developed agriculture by that time could simply ignore London. And the British were wise enough not to start a military operation far away: the smell of the First World War was already in the air.
And they had little chance of winning. After all, it was the peculiar contingent of the first settlers that played a role in the success of Australia. Courage, endurance, perseverance, ability for physical labor were originally Australian trump cards over pampered Europe.
There was no happiness, but the war helped
And then the world wars thundered, which greatly enriched Australia, which was far from conflicts, both with an increased demand for raw materials and with human capital: thousands of qualified specialists left here from mobilization, battles, and devastation.
It must be said that not everyone was accepted: until the 1970s, the concept of “White Australia” dominated, and, say, Asians were actually denied entry. Only when the level of education in Asia rose to a more or less decent level was the ban lifted - and now people from China, Indochina, and India play an important role in the country.
Rich mineral resources, wonderful climate south coast, multiplied by the stern Protestant ethic (its traces can still be traced in the country, although the majority of its inhabitants have long been no longer religious), helped make a prosperous land out of an inhospitable continent. There are quite a lot of problems in Australia, as elsewhere - now, let’s say, it’s the opposition to Muslim expansion (more precisely, the way of life that migrants bring with them), but it’s hard to doubt that Australians will cope with this scourge. This is not Europe, everything is more serious and simpler here.
Port Arthur is located on the Tasmanian peninsula in Australia. This small town is famous for the fact that until 1877 there was a convict prison here, which was considered one of the most terrible prisons in the world. It housed the most notorious criminals, including those who had already escaped from other prisons. The prison, built in 1933, housed approximately 13,000 inmates, 2,000 of whom died there.
The Port Arthur prison was a complex of 60 buildings. There were 80 solitary confinement cells, a hospital morgue, a Catholic chapel, Cathedral, in which representatives of all faiths could pray, a psychiatric hospital, a bakery, a laundry, a kitchen, the commandant’s residence and much more. Most of Prison buildings were damaged during forest fires, wooden buildings were destroyed by them, only stone ones survived.
Now the Port Arthur prison is accessible to tourists. They can explore what remains of the prison buildings. Within the walls of the prison, actors act out scenes from the lives of prisoners. Tours are also held on the Island of the Dead, where the prison cemetery is located; tourists are also shown the former Point Puer boys' colony, where they were sent from the age of nine.
Coordinates: -43.14929800,147.85251300
