Louisa's Walk

We spent an extra day in Hobart so we could go on Louisa's Walk. Louisa's Walk is a bit of street theatre, telling the tale of a real convict, Louisa (by any other name), who was transported to Van Dieman's Land for a petty crime, and ended up in the Female Factory there. Twice. 

Beautifully researched, Louisa's Walk takes its followers on a journey of history, in an imaginative and creative way. A female and a male actor play the costumed parts of Louisa and various men she comes across enroute from poverty conditions in Ireland, via the East End of London where she is caught stealing to provide for her children, onto a hulk and imprisonment in the river Thames where she waits four months, in appalling conditions, for a ship to bring her to Van Dieman's Land. 

The entire story takes place on a short walk through the park opposite the Cascade Brewery, heading to and from the ruins of the Female Factory prison. Enroute, we pass small cottages built using the stone from the ruins of this early convict prison. 

We learn not only Louisa's story but the plight of many female convicts in Tasmania, as well as bits about the area, including the Rivulet that cascades down from the Brewery that was the life source for the early settlers.

The drama went for nearly two hours of beautifully performed theatre, and poignant storytelling. It is not at all surprising that this is #1 on Trip Advisor's Things to Do in Hobart.

In truth, we could do with a variation of this historical theatre in every state of Australia. Such a simple saleable concept. This one really is not to be missed! 

Two actors and a basketful of props create magic

Cottages today still standing that were built with bricks from the Female Factory

Heart-wrenching drama