Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
13 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
14 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
17 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
17 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Australia South Hobart The Cascades Female Factory
AO Edited

The Cascades Female Factory

The forgotten and tragic story of the thousands of female convicts forcibly transported to Tasmania is told inside the ruins of this notorious 19th-century workhouse.

South Hobart, Australia

Added By
Bonnie
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Cascades Female Factory   Girl In The Sublunary / Atlas Obscura User
The Cascades Female Factory   Girl In The Sublunary / Atlas Obscura User
The Cascades Female Factory   Girl In The Sublunary / Atlas Obscura User
The Cascades Female Factory   Girl In The Sublunary / Atlas Obscura User
The Cascades Female Factory   Girl In The Sublunary / Atlas Obscura User
The Cascades Female Factory   Girl In The Sublunary / Atlas Obscura User
The Cascades Female Factory   Girl In The Sublunary / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

During the 19th-century, Tasmania was Australia's primary penal colony. Around 12,500 female convicts were transported to the island where they were put to work in harsh, grueling labor camps known as Female Factories.

The Cascades Female Factory opened in 1828, taking over the premises of a failed distillery in the foothills of Mount Wellington. The factory consisted of five yards, which included dormitories, solitary confinement, a wash yard, matron's quarters, and an orphan school for the children of convicts.

Convicts were marched from the docks in Hobart to the prison in full view of free citizens, who could taunt and ridicule the women as they passed as a form of humiliation. Once inside, inmates spent their days washing endless amounts of linen, sewing uniforms, and unraveling tarred lengths of rope to be resold to the shipyards. Women who displayed good behavior and were considered reformed were hired out as maids or nannies to free citizens. However, any convict who became pregnant while on work release was sent back to the prison for the entire term of her pregnancy, and upon giving birth was punished with six months of hard labor.

When convict transport to Tasmania ceased in 1853, the Female Factory was turned over to local authorities and operated as a smaller women's prison until it finally closed in 1877. By that time most of the facility's structures had been repurposed for other uses, such as an asylum, a boy's reform school, and a hospital. 

Described as a dark, damp, bitterly cold place, where women suffered needlessly and infants died from malnutrition and neglect, the Cascades Female Factory now serves to educate the public about its tragic history and the horrific abuse that convicts endured.

Related Tags

Prisons History & Culture Memorials

Know Before You Go

The Cascades Female Factory is temporarily closed for refurbishment and will reopen December 2021.

 Admission is $8 AUD/adult, $5 AUD/child. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Girl In The Sublunary

Published

July 14, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
The Cascades Female Factory
16 Degraves St
South Hobart, 7004
Australia
-42.893883, 147.299348
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Errol Flynn Reserve

Sandy Bay, Australia

miles away

Tasman Fountain

Battery Point, Australia

miles away

Maritime Museum of Tasmania

Hobart, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Australia

Australia

Oceania

Places 610
Stories 94

Nearby Places

Errol Flynn Reserve

Sandy Bay, Australia

miles away

Tasman Fountain

Battery Point, Australia

miles away

Maritime Museum of Tasmania

Hobart, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Australia

Australia

Oceania

Places 610
Stories 94

Related Places

  • Objects made by incarcerated political prisoners.

    Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Eileen Hickey Irish Republican History Museum

    Documenting the nationalist movement in Northern Ireland, with an emphasis on the history of political prisoners.

  • The Countess Pillar.

    Brougham, England

    Countess Pillar

    A memorial overlooking a busy roadway is linked with the story of a 17th-century noblewoman’s legal battle for her inheritance.

  • Pune, India

    Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

    A riverside stone memorial dedicated to an unidentified hero.

  • The monument

    Leadville, Colorado

    Irish Miners' Memorial and Cemetery

    Thousands of unmarked, sunken graves in a pauper's cemetery.

  • Monument of Revolution in Ruma

    Ruma, Serbia

    Monument of Revolution in Ruma

    A series of metal trumpets in the heart of Ruma represents the seven Vojvodina People's Liberation Brigades.

  • Spag's Memorial

    Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

    Spag's Memorial

    This memorial is dedicated to a once popular but now defunct discount Shrewsbury department store.

  • Concord, Massachusetts

    Brister Freeman Homestead Site

    A stone marker dedicated to a Black veteran of the American Revolution who refused to leave his land near Walden Pond.

  • Prestonpans, Scotland

    'Athena' Memorial Statue

    A monument honoring 81 residents of this Scottish town who were executed for witchcraft in the 16th century.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.