Convict Memorial Hub

The Convict Memorial Hub is proposed for location at the Penitentiary Chapel Historic Site (PCHS) on the corner of Campbell and Brisbane Streets, Hobart.

The Convict Memorial seeks to make the PCHS central to exploring Tasmania’s convict sites and a hub for tourism dispersal to other convict-related sites across Tasmania. It is proposed for PCHS Court No. 2 where the c. 1975 suspended ceiling of the court will be removed and large LED screens will be suspended within the increased space and over the Court’s four windows. The data projection will spill onto the walls, whilst retaining the historic, fixed court furniture in place.

A map of Tasmania will be projected onto the courtroom table, with convict-related sites highlighted according to the activated data. Visitors will be able to engage with the data in interactive ways that reveals new stories.

The project activates the digitized records of the approx. 62,500 male convicts who were processed through the Hobart House of Correction and Campbell Street Gaol. The records were formerly located in the Head Gaoler’s residence and are now held by the Tasmanian State Archives.