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2007 Discover Australia Series ~ Port Arthur 1oz Silver Proof - Left
Handed Coins & Banknotes
The coin's reverse depicts the ruins of Government Cottage
and the convict-built Gothic-style Church at Port Arthur, Tasmania's
notorious 19th century penal colony. Situated on Tasman Peninsula,
south-east of Hobart, and accessible only by crossing the narrow Eaglehawk Neck,
this harsh environment was home to 12,500 convicts between 1830 and 1877. Named
after Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, its magnificently
preserved buildings, including the main Penitentiary and the Model Prison, are
poignant reminders of Australia's early colonial history and the desolate lives
of its inmates. The Church, built during the 1830s, was never consecrated.
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