Roger Jaensch, Minister for Heritage and,Eric Abetz, Liberal Senator for Tasmania
Visitors to Hobart's iconic Cascade Female Factory are set to have an even better experience thanks to the construction of a new History and Interpretation Centre.
After removal of non-heritage structures, construction of the new Centre is about to begin.
The Cascade Female Factory is an award-winning heritage site in South Hobart that tells the stories of the female convicts who came to Tasmania.
The site was included as one of the eleven places on the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Listing in 2010, and the Tasmanian Liberal Government is investing $3 million in the project, with a further $2 million investment from the Federal Liberal Government.
This project will enable enhanced telling of the female convict story and will ensure that we can meet the needs of increasing visitor numbers for the next 15-20 years.
The Minister for Heritage, Roger Jaensch, said the new $5 million History & Interpretation Centre will feature a museum and interpretation gallery, research room, gift shop, and welcome and ticketing area.
"It will also include new meeting and office facilities to increase use of the heritage site for other purposes and events, improving income opportunities.
"With a vast number of stories of human courage, endurance and endeavour attached to the convict population of Tasmania, the Tasmanian Liberal Government strongly supports projects such as this.
"It helps us to recognise their suffering and celebrate the lives of those who strived to make a home in Tasmania," Mr Jaensch said.
Eric Abetz, Liberal Senator for Tasmania, said once complete, the enhanced visitor experience will be a massive boon for tourism, local jobs and preserving Tasmania's rich heritage.
"It's exciting to see firsthand the progress made on the new visitor facilities at Cascades Female Factory. This combined effort from the state and federal Liberal Governments to fund the new visitor experience will preserve and enhance our heritage, contribute to tourism in Tasmania and support local jobs."
"It's within Tasmania's best interests to financially support and showcase its heritage and tourism potential to the rest of Australia and we are doing just that."
PAHSMA CEO, Jonathan Fisher, said the introduction of innovative technology and interpretation will showcase both the site and its stories in a truly engaging way.
"None of this would have been possible without the generous financial support of both the Tasmanian and Commonwealth governments."
"The site closed on 27 May 2021 to allow for construction of the new History and Interpretation Centre, and with demolition now complete, we are on track to reopen the new and improved site to visitors in December 2021."
