Eaglehawk Neck
Jun. 26th, 2010 01:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xenithEaglehawk Neck is the isthmus between Tasman Peninsula and Forestier Peninsula, or perhaps more relevant, it's the narrow strip of land that connects the Tasman Peninsula to the rest of the island and freedom. Because for the prisoners at Port Arthur, the only way to successfully escape was to get off the peninsula. Otherwise you'd be recaptured, or starve to death, or get killed by devils or tigers or sharks or savages.
Unfortunately, the neck was protected by a line of savage dogs, backed up by a military detachment. This is the usual image used to illustrate the dogline, depicting IIRC the Franklins' visit. Escape was believed impossible.
Failure did not deter others. Such was the case of Logan, Smith and Brown who were notorious because they managed the almost impossible and escaped across to Eagle Hawk Neck. In the morning of their escape their absence from morning muster was quickly semaphored by 'telegraph' to Hobart Town from Point Puer. This escape greatly puzzled Booth at the time, but it was evident that the boys had waded along the shelving beach a little below Eagle Hawk Neck, taken a deep breath and walked along over their depth for some distance until out of the guards' sight, when they made for shore again. One guard reported that he heard rustling in the scrub but had searched without success. The three boys were eventually captured by Hobley, an assigned servant who was rewarded by having his sentence reduced. (From "Prison Boys of Port Arthur" by F.C. Hooper)
I managed to not get any worthwhile photos on the way down, so I offer a link to a coloured postcard c. 1910 or a B&W photo from the other direction (or the Google Maps link at the start of this post). The building on the postcard is the military barracks, since demolished.
Pirate Bay and part of its long beach.
This is one reason why I have no photos.
Before we left, I checked the weather forecast for the east coast (rain Friday morning, clearing to a fine afternoon and fine on Saturday) and I checked the forecast for Hobart (same). As the Tasman Peninsula is the south-east corner, it should be fine for the time we'd be there. As it turned out, the forecast for the east coast and Hobart was correct, but the weather on the peninsula was, well, it's obviously a different world done there.
Fortunately, we stopped there on the way back and visited the Tessellated Pavement
and the "Officers Quarters Museum 1832", which is managed by Parks & Wildlife and was opened to the public only a few years ago.
On the other side of the house, is the start of a walking circuit that takes in the site of the dogline and the beach.
Eaglehawk Neck Community Hall
AFAIK the water on the western side of the Neck is an extension of Norfolk Bay.
That's a very old dog.
There is the text from the panel above and there is the image.
The dogs and their human co-workers are the subject of a number of works of art, other than those commonly shown. I'm going to put links to them here so I can find them if I ever need them.
The same artist as above, but from the other direction (What are they feeding their jetty?).
The jetty and guard house are also the focal point here. The dogs are insignificant
The whole line and guard house
Floating dogs.
Norfolk Bay again. It's getting late :(
From the same point, that's the beach on the other side, just to give some idea of the width. It doesn't really, does it?
Pirates Bay Beach.
"Is your dog a nuisance?" There's similar signs on other beaches we've visited, but here it seems a bit odd.
On the beach. If it looks familiar, this is a smaller version of an image I used in a different post
To give a better indication of the weather: I took this photo, turned and
quickly took this one.
And that's all :)
Unfortunately, the neck was protected by a line of savage dogs, backed up by a military detachment. This is the usual image used to illustrate the dogline, depicting IIRC the Franklins' visit. Escape was believed impossible.
Failure did not deter others. Such was the case of Logan, Smith and Brown who were notorious because they managed the almost impossible and escaped across to Eagle Hawk Neck. In the morning of their escape their absence from morning muster was quickly semaphored by 'telegraph' to Hobart Town from Point Puer. This escape greatly puzzled Booth at the time, but it was evident that the boys had waded along the shelving beach a little below Eagle Hawk Neck, taken a deep breath and walked along over their depth for some distance until out of the guards' sight, when they made for shore again. One guard reported that he heard rustling in the scrub but had searched without success. The three boys were eventually captured by Hobley, an assigned servant who was rewarded by having his sentence reduced. (From "Prison Boys of Port Arthur" by F.C. Hooper)
I managed to not get any worthwhile photos on the way down, so I offer a link to a coloured postcard c. 1910 or a B&W photo from the other direction (or the Google Maps link at the start of this post). The building on the postcard is the military barracks, since demolished.
Pirate Bay and part of its long beach.
This is one reason why I have no photos.
Before we left, I checked the weather forecast for the east coast (rain Friday morning, clearing to a fine afternoon and fine on Saturday) and I checked the forecast for Hobart (same). As the Tasman Peninsula is the south-east corner, it should be fine for the time we'd be there. As it turned out, the forecast for the east coast and Hobart was correct, but the weather on the peninsula was, well, it's obviously a different world done there.
Fortunately, we stopped there on the way back and visited the Tessellated Pavement
and the "Officers Quarters Museum 1832", which is managed by Parks & Wildlife and was opened to the public only a few years ago.
On the other side of the house, is the start of a walking circuit that takes in the site of the dogline and the beach.
Eaglehawk Neck Community Hall
AFAIK the water on the western side of the Neck is an extension of Norfolk Bay.
That's a very old dog.
There is the text from the panel above and there is the image.
The dogs and their human co-workers are the subject of a number of works of art, other than those commonly shown. I'm going to put links to them here so I can find them if I ever need them.
The same artist as above, but from the other direction (What are they feeding their jetty?).
The jetty and guard house are also the focal point here. The dogs are insignificant
The whole line and guard house
Floating dogs.
Norfolk Bay again. It's getting late :(
From the same point, that's the beach on the other side, just to give some idea of the width. It doesn't really, does it?
Pirates Bay Beach.
"Is your dog a nuisance?" There's similar signs on other beaches we've visited, but here it seems a bit odd.
On the beach. If it looks familiar, this is a smaller version of an image I used in a different post
To give a better indication of the weather: I took this photo, turned and
quickly took this one.
And that's all :)
