Australian Convict Sites

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]

Australian Convict Sites

UNESCO World Heritage Site
View of Port Arthur, Tasmania one of the 11 penal sites constituting the Australian Convict Sites
Location	Australia
Criteria	Cultural: (iv), (vi)
Reference	1306
Inscription	2010 (34th Session)
Area	1,502.51 ha (3,712.8 acres)
Buffer zone	3,746.68 ha (9,258.2 acres)
Coordinates	33°22′42″S 150°59′40″E

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

A convict ploughing team breaking up new ground - Port Arthur

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 number	Description	Citation
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."[16]

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]

References

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