The Cascades Female Factory opened in 1828 taking over the premises of a failed brewery in the foothills of Mount Wellington, and operated until 1856. 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, women spent their days washing endless amounts of linen, sewing uniforms, and unravelling tarred lengths of rope to be resold to the shipyards -- among other exhaustive tasks -- until they were considered reformed enough to be hired out as maids or nannies to free citizens.
Described as a dark, damp, bitterly cold place, where women suffered needlessly and infants (most of whom were conceived during work releases) 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.