A little history on Norfolk

After touring the island yesterday we were so captivated by it's beauty and rich history that I had to put my hands on the past. Captain Cook made first European discovery in 1774 and named this place "paradise" in his journal. I understand now what he meant by that. In 1825, a penitentiary was built and the island became what us Americans call Alcatraz. These prisoners were part of a chain gang and housed in pairs in a 6x5 foot cell. They tended to put those who didn't get along together to make life on this prison island even more torture. We also learned along our walk through the ruins is that some prisoners were sentenced to life, death and even dissection. They had a room where doctors would dissect a body to try and learn about insanity, what made them different that the average human, and also parts of the body in general. The view outside the "New Gaol" ruins is just breathtaking with the massive waves smashing against the rocks. It gives an eerie feeling of what was. It felt like I could close my eyes and smell the dark, dank and wet Georgian building coming to life. I can hear the screams of the prisioners and the chains. I could see the dread on the prisoners faces as they walked through the threshold.