According to C J La Trobe's report in 1846, he states the following: (Slightly abbreviated by me) Southport probation station situated near the Southern entrance of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, a few miles North of Recherche Bay. Hobart 60 miles distant, communication by water, reach Hobart easily in fair winds in one day. Originally opened for procuring timber, more recently reception of prisoners on primary probation. Station stands close to the shore, front parade rises supported by piles. Buildings generally of very tolerable description - paving for four feet around the huts so as to throw water draining from the roof's clear of the buildings foundations. Accommodation for about 500 men in the wards, and 30 in the separate apartments. Two mess rooms - one large and not in good repair, it is old and floor of loose earth. Cook house and bake house large and fair buildings made of wood with a brick wall around them. There are three yards quite distinct, one laid with good gravel and two with sand. Old huts built to accommodate 40 men each, front the station towards the sea, are very good, each hut quite distinct but sleeping places are narrow in some wards. Separate Apartments are in 4 small yards. Doors are placed alternately in one yard, or the other opposite in a manner similar to Cascades Female Factory in Hobart. Built of brick with a high brickwall around the yards. Solitary cells not very well ventilated, but secure, sidewalls carried forward to prevent communication between inmates. 30 additional cells nearly completed. Hospital one large room, rather crowded and hot, eleven men were in it, Dispenser's room small. Very good Chapel divided by partitions, one part for officers and three divisions for the three distinct classes of prisoners. Books for circulating amongst men, kept in small room off chapel. Attendance at school tolerable but no great improvement reported. Resident Medical Officer visits the station at Port Esperance and an overseer who is Roman Catholic, reads prayers to men of his creed, about one third of all prisoners. Clerk in the office is a passholder at sixpence a day and rations. There are 361 prisoners on the station including 50-60 boys under twenty years, the youngest about 14 - these are kept in distinct gang from the men as much as possible during day and entirely separated at night from the men. All older classes of convicts have been removed, now solely those from the 'John Soames' and 'Lord Auckland'. Men separated as much as possible being distributed in three classes. 2nd and 3rd are mixed at work but as those of 3rd class are under separate treatment, all classes are kept distinct at night and meal times. Supply of all description of timber is inexhaustible. Iron tram roads are laid in different directions so conveyance of timber to water's edge is performed without any difficulty. Abundant supply of shells for lime, and of good clay, also good stone for building and paving - all close at hand. Farm is mile and half from station and 100 acres under cultivation. Appearance of crops not favourable. Samples of wheat were of inferior quality, soil is not good and questionable to keep up station solely for agricultural purposes. General state of station satisfactory and advantages of its position and products, turned to pretty good account. Advantages include comparative inaccessibility by land and total absence of settlers and sawyers in the neighbourhood. Land between Southport and Port Esperance to north is Government Reserve, therefore keep as probation station. General character of prisoners good as could be expected, and perfect isolation from the older convicts was productive of good. Disadvantages of inconvenience when small bodies of men become entitled to their passes and ought to have prompt means afforded them of entering the Hiring Depots in Hobart Town which is the closest. Book is written by Ian Brand, 'The Convict Probation System: Van Diemen's Land 1839-1854' ISBN 0 908528 20 5 Sue Wyatt www.wyatt-family.com/sue Any knowledge of families in Sorell, Tasmania? www.sorellschool.tased.edu.au Chat about genealogy with people around the world? www.looking4kin.com I research using Archive CD Books. www.archivecdbooks.org Member of Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. www.raogk.org