Sad history great museum - Worth a visit with guided tour. This place knows a terrible history that is very sad and interesting to hear. We were glad we had a guide explaining everything. What a cruel period. We liked this place much more than Port Arthur. If you like to know more about the women of Tassie, make sure to pay this museum a visit. Try to place yourself on their shoes…

Strumpets and Notorious Women Tour - Did this on Saturday and can totally recommend this tour. Very informative and the experience was incredibly moving. The lady leading the 1 pm tour was very knowledgeable and passionate about the history and lives of these women. We walked up the Hobart rivulet, which was also a lovely experience as the autumn leaves were falling around us I was privileged to spot a platypus in the creek.

You might not think it, but it’s so worth the time to visit. Pay for a tour though - really bring it to life. - “Notorious Strumpets and Dangerous Girls” was the name of the guided tour we chose to do for this visit. Marcelle was our guide, and she did a brilliant job of bringing to memory of the ladies she spoke about to life. She obviously cares about the women who were detained in this place, and is keen to share the stories of their trauma, and life after their time in the factory. Although there is not much physically to see from the original prison (because that’s what it was), the historical site have done a great job to recreate and depict the layout of how it was when in use. It was so nearly wiped away completely- but thanks to someone who felt it needed to be shared, the site was saved and what is left has been able to start to share the stories of these women and girls.

Uncomfortable but important. - This is not a comfortabe experience. The stories are very confronting. But its a history we should know about. There is little of the actual factory still there. Mostly its lines on the ground. I had one of their hand held audio guides. Unless i held my finger on the screen it kept zeroing back to the start - frustrating. This was how our forebears treated womena dnchildren.

Be sure to take a tour! - The Cascade Female Factory is very different than the Port Arthur Historic Site, but is essential to an understanding of the convict experience. Much of the structure had been torn down until a group of concerned women in the 1970’s petitioned the government to create a historic site. We were fortunate to have one of those women (Marcelle) as our guide on the morning we visited. Marcelle gave an extremely interesting tour, rich with colorful details, that gave us an insight into what these women’s lives were like once they had received a sentence of “transportation” for often small, petty crimes. It was a viscous cycle where random acts could change the course of your life forever. Taking a tour is essential to understanding and appreciating the significance of of this historic site. While the museum does an excellent job and is well curated, we are so glad we took a tour. Pony up the extra $10 AUS and take a tour if you visit.

Cascades Female Factory Convict Site worth a visit - Highly recommend a visit to this historic site and to take the guided tour. Our guide Marcelle was outstanding! She told interesting stories that really captured the experience for female convicts and the children in this prison. Its a sad history but one we need to know about. She wove stories of the indigenous women into the narrative in a appropriate way that recognised that important history too. Loved it!

How far we've come and how similar we still are - Our guide, Hugh, was incredibly passionate and knowledgeable on the history of this atmospheric and heartbreaking site. I am so grateful that the voices of these women and children have been preserved - I may have even found an Irish ancestor of mine in the database records. The history of our country stretches far and wide. Highly recommend a visit!

Important but sad visit to the past - A very important place to visit when learning about the history of white Australia. Super emotional. You need a few hours to really read and experience everything.

Definitely take the time - We did the guided tour and so glad we did as our guide (Marcel) was fabulous and so informative. I do recommend that you do this tour before Port Arthur as Port Arthur is on a much bigger scale with alot of ruins and buildings intact. You'll be disappointed if you expect the female factory will be the same. You have to use more of your imagination with the female factory while listening to the stories of their harrendous stories . I found this more interesting, maybe cause I grew up aware of Port Arthur but had never heard of this female "factory". If you are doing the Cascade Brewery, PLEASE also do this tour, it's enlightening.

Blast from the Past - This was an interesting and well publicised tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and a good communicator. The history is well laid out for tourists.