The National Heritage List recognises and protects our most valued natural, Photos: Dragi Markovic/DEWHA, Jenelle McMahon/DEWHA and Cascades Female Factory Cascades Female Factory Indigenous and historic heritage sites. It is a snapshot of the nation’s most important places. The List reflects the story of our development, from our original inhabitants to present day, Australia’s spirit and ingenuity, and our unique, living landscapes. Each place in the List has been assessed by the Australian Heritage Council as having outstanding heritage value to the nation, and is protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. This means that approval must be obtained before taking any action that may have a significant impact on the national heritage values of the place. In this way, we can retain our heritage for future generations. To ensure ongoing protection, each listed place should have a management plan outlining how the heritage values of the site will be conserved and interpreted. The National Heritage List enables all Australians to celebrate, value and protect our unique heritage. For further information visit www.heritage.gov.au www.heritage.gov.au • The Factory functioned in a number of ways – a prison and place of punishment and reform for re-offending female convicts, a female labour hiring depot, a place of shelter for female convicts between work assignments and for those who were sick, infirm or pregnant. Female convicts performed tasks such as laundry, spinning, needlework and manufacturing blankets. Convict life The Cascades Female Factory is of great importance to the nation for its • Built in a semi-enclosed valley at the foothills association with convict women. The Factory was awarded the nation’s of Mount Wellington, the Factory quickly highest heritage honour when it was included in the National Heritage List became notorious as a place of great on 1 August 2007. harshness and inhumanity. The appalling Our convict past living conditions, the inadequate diet, poor • Australia is one of the few places in the world where large numbers of sanitation, severe overcrowding, exposure women were sent as convicts. Some 25 000 women were transported to extreme temperatures, forced weaning of Michael Lindquist/DEWHA and over half of these were sent to Tasmania. Convict women were babies and excessively high infant mortality seen by the colonial authorities as important for the well-being of were the subject of numerous inquests and inquiries. society through their role as wives, mothers and domestic servants and A part of women’s history yet they were also regarded as a threat to the very fabric of society. Female factories were established in penal settlements to both isolate • Today the site is highly valued by visitors, community groups and convict women and protect society from their corrupting influence. professionals including researchers, archaeologists, artists, historians and genealogical specialists. • Cascades Female Factory was the primary site for the processing and imprisonment of convict women sent to Tasmania. It operated from • The site contains archaeological resources and built fabric from the 1828 to 1856, making it one of the colony’s longest running penal convict dormitories, solitary cells, nursery, hospital, chapel, staff institutions. quarters and workplaces.