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Sarah Island is Tasmania's oldest convict settlement and reputedly one of the severest penal establishments in the history of transportation to Australia. Flogging was frequently used as a punishment and more than 180 escape attempts were made.
Remotely located, the island sits in the southern part of Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania's west coast. Despite its isolation and grim function, Sarah Island was for a time the largest shipbuilding yard in the colonies. Convicts were also put to work in the thriving pining trade.