These images taken surrounding The Church Precinct of Port Arthur. Certainly my favourite of all the buildings we visited the day we were there.

I was aroused from my reverie by the sound of b e l l s
pealing l i g h t l y upon my ear…They chimed in so
b e a u t i f u l l y w i t h the b r i g h t and peaceful scene around
and seemed to float upon the a i r in t i n k l i n g echoes
from afar, that one almost fancied they were r i n g i n g in
the sky. But this was not the case, they proceeded from the
tower of the church, and in a few minutes I found myself
within its walls awaiting the commencement of morning
service. (G. G r u n c e l l , c.1 8 7 4 – Reminiscences of Port
Arthur and Tasman’s Peninsula)

Port Arthur’s timber and stone church, constructed in 1836-37 is a lasting tribute to its convict builders.Built on high ground to overlook the convict settlement, the church could accommodate over one thousand souls at its services.The building was never consecrated, due to its use by prisoners of different denominations, but was representative of the authorities’ goal to reform the convict population through religion.The building was destroyed by fire in 1884 and has undergone repeated conservation work throughout the 20th century.