Cascades Female Factory Historic Site

Cascades Female Factory Historic Site Nestled in the shadow of kunanyi, are some of Australia's greatest untold stories. Discover the lives of the convict women at the Cascades Female Factory.

Tours depart daily. Australia’s most significant site associated with female convicts sits in the shadow of Mount Wellington, a short distance from the Hobart CBD. Women were incarcerated here as punishment or while waiting to be assigned. With guards, nurses and babies, up to 1000 people lived here at any one time. Discover the stories of female convicts and their children on a guided tour or experience morning tea with the matron.

Isabella Munro was 24 when she arrived in Hobart from Scotland in 1850.Her convict record described her as “very bad”.Sh...
11/09/2026

Isabella Munro was 24 when she arrived in Hobart from Scotland in 1850.

Her convict record described her as “very bad”.

She was a needlewoman, literate, had already served more than five years in prison before transportation and had been convicted several times for theft.

But one detail made Isabella particularly distinctive.

She had a wooden leg.

It certainly didn't stop her.

Isabella absconded, was returned to the Cascades Female Factory, served hard labour and was punished for disorderly conduct. At one point she was even discovered with knitting and other articles hidden in her bed.

In 1853 she gave birth to a daughter, Mary. She later received her Ticket of Leave, married and moved on from the Factory, but her colourful appearances in Tasmania's court records continued.

Years later, one witness referred to her simply as “Peg-Leg Ward.”

Behind that unforgettable nickname was a woman whose life was complicated, difficult and anything but ordinary.

Discover more of the individual women behind the convict records at Cascades Female Factory.

History has not always been kind to women who refused to behave as expected.At Cascades Female Factory, surviving record...
08/09/2026

History has not always been kind to women who refused to behave as expected.

At Cascades Female Factory, surviving records contain descriptions and judgements that tell us as much about nineteenth-century attitudes as they do about the women themselves.

Notorious Strumpets and Dangerous Girls explores those records differently, asking us to look beyond labels and consider the circumstances, choices and personalities of the women behind them.

Because a few words written in a record should never be mistaken for an entire life

Sometimes the story you discover at Cascades is only the beginning.Our gift shop offers another opportunity to delve int...
07/09/2026

Sometimes the story you discover at Cascades is only the beginning.

Our gift shop offers another opportunity to delve into the history of the women connected to this place, with books and thoughtfully selected gifts and keepsakes that allow you to continue exploring long after your visit.

Take your time browsing before you leave.

You might discover the next story you want to know more about.

Not everyone living inside the walls of Cascades Female Factory was a convict.Until 1851, the Superintendent and Matron ...
04/09/2026

Not everyone living inside the walls of Cascades Female Factory was a convict.

Until 1851, the Superintendent and Matron were a married couple who actually lived here with their family.

Their apartment sat above the entrance and included two bedrooms, a kitchen and a parlour. Two of its windows looked directly into the Nursery Yard.

The Factory's first Superintendent and Matron, Esh and Ann Lovell, lived here with their six children. Their successors, John and Mary Hutchinson, also raised a large family here during their 19 years managing the Factory.

It's an extraordinary contrast.

A family home, built directly into the walls of an institution of punishment.

A courtroom can tell us what happened.It cannot always tell us why.Mary McLaughlin's story invites us to look beyond the...
27/08/2026

A courtroom can tell us what happened.

It cannot always tell us why.

Mary McLaughlin's story invites us to look beyond the official records and consider the life behind the conviction. Condemned challenges visitors to question assumptions, examine the evidence and explore the complexities of justice in colonial Tasmania.

Would your decision be any different?

About 7,000 convict women passed through the Cascades Female Factory.Each arrived with her own story, carrying hopes, fe...
20/08/2026

About 7,000 convict women passed through the Cascades Female Factory.

Each arrived with her own story, carrying hopes, fears and experiences that stretched far beyond the crime recorded beside her name. The Convict Women's Tour explores their lives through the places where they worked, lived and supported one another, revealing a richer and more human history of this remarkable site.

History doesn't always remember the loudest voices... but sometimes it should.Biddy Yack McKenna refused to fade quietly...
13/08/2026

History doesn't always remember the loudest voices... but sometimes it should.

Biddy Yack McKenna refused to fade quietly into the background.

Described as ‘infamous’ in her Irish gaol report, Biddy was transported from Tyrone, Ireland, arriving in Van Diemen’s Land aboard the Phoebe in January 1845. A 36-year-old housemaid, she had been sentenced to transportation for seven years, twice, for two separate indictments.

Colonial life did little to tame Biddy’s spirit. Over the years she repeatedly found herself back at the Cascades Female Factory for offences including drunkenness, being absent without leave, refusing to work and absconding. Her punishments ranged from solitary confinement to months of hard labour.

But Biddy’s story is more than a list of offences. She arrived with her young daughter, Ann Daley, who was later admitted to the Queen’s Orphan School at just two years old. Biddy remained in Van Diemen’s Land and, after serving her sentences, finally received her Free Certificate in July 1858.

She died in Hobart in 1863, almost 19 years after arriving in the colony.

More than 170 years later, Biddy’s story invites us to look beyond the official record and consider the woman behind it. Her experiences reveal something of the hardship, resistance and complexity of life for women transported to Van Diemen’s Land.

Visit the Cascades Female Factory and uncover the remarkable lives of Biddy and the thousands of women whose stories form part of Tasmania’s history.

Every family has a story waiting to be uncovered.This Family History Month, join us at the Cascades Female Factory for C...
13/08/2026

Every family has a story waiting to be uncovered.

This Family History Month, join us at the Cascades Female Factory for Convict Connections on 29 & 30 August, a free event bringing together some of Tasmania's leading genealogy researchers, archivists and historians. Whether you're beginning your search or adding another chapter to your family tree, you'll find expert guidance, practical advice and remarkable stories waiting to be discovered.

While you're here, extend your visit with a special guided tour and experience the place where so many of those stories began

11/08/2026

The women were silenced.
Their story lives on.

Beneath Kunanyi/Mount Wellington, this World Heritage-listed site shares the stories of thousands of convict women and children who lived and laboured within these yards.

Hear their stories of hardship and injustice, but also strength, connection and defiance.

This winter, we invite you to step into the warmth of their legacy.

Tours run daily.
femalefactory.org.au.

Many women arrived carrying infants or gave birth during their sentence. For a time, mothers and babies remained togethe...
08/08/2026

Many women arrived carrying infants or gave birth during their sentence. For a time, mothers and babies remained together within the Factory's walls before many children were separated through the convict system. Behind every birth was a mother determined to protect her child in circumstances few of us can imagine today.

This Family History Month, discover the stories of the women and children whose lives began here and whose descendants still walk these grounds.

Address

16 Degraves Street
South Hobart, TAS
7004

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday 9:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+611800139478

Website

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