From 'Place of Misery' to 'Lottery of Life': Interpreting Port Arthur's Past

For more than a century Port Arthur historic site has attracted visitors curious to see the
former convict settlement. Recently, management has devised novel ways to entice people to
the site. The new visitors centre, designed by Philip Lighton Architects and completed in
1999, has a bold modernistic design which has received high praise from architectural experts.
Although it sits within the historic precinct it looks nothing like the other buildings on site.
Architectural designer Tim Penny declared that the building’s ‘contemporary character blends
in well with the historic buildings without replicating the original colonial architecture.