Be sure to take a tour! - The Cascade Female Factory is very different than the Port Arthur Historic Site, but is essential to an understanding of the convict experience. Much of the structure had been torn down until a group of concerned women in the 1970’s petitioned the government to create a historic site. We were fortunate to have one of those women (Marcelle) as our guide on the morning we visited. Marcelle gave an extremely interesting tour, rich with colorful details, that gave us an insight into what these women’s lives were like once they had received a sentence of “transportation” for often small, petty crimes. It was a viscous cycle where random acts could change the course of your life forever. Taking a tour is essential to understanding and appreciating the significance of of this historic site. While the museum does an excellent job and is well curated, we are so glad we took a tour. Pony up the extra $10 AUS and take a tour if you visit.

Cascades Female Factory Convict Site worth a visit - Highly recommend a visit to this historic site and to take the guided tour. Our guide Marcelle was outstanding! She told interesting stories that really captured the experience for female convicts and the children in this prison. Its a sad history but one we need to know about. She wove stories of the indigenous women into the narrative in a appropriate way that recognised that important history too. Loved it!

How far we've come and how similar we still are - Our guide, Hugh, was incredibly passionate and knowledgeable on the history of this atmospheric and heartbreaking site. I am so grateful that the voices of these women and children have been preserved - I may have even found an Irish ancestor of mine in the database records. The history of our country stretches far and wide. Highly recommend a visit!

Important but sad visit to the past - A very important place to visit when learning about the history of white Australia. Super emotional. You need a few hours to really read and experience everything.

Definitely take the time - We did the guided tour and so glad we did as our guide (Marcel) was fabulous and so informative. I do recommend that you do this tour before Port Arthur as Port Arthur is on a much bigger scale with alot of ruins and buildings intact. You'll be disappointed if you expect the female factory will be the same. You have to use more of your imagination with the female factory while listening to the stories of their harrendous stories . I found this more interesting, maybe cause I grew up aware of Port Arthur but had never heard of this female "factory". If you are doing the Cascade Brewery, PLEASE also do this tour, it's enlightening.

Great visit - Sad place with dark history and stories of convict women. That was reception for convict women from 1828. and you can use imagination to have some ideas what was going on at that place. At the same time there was also 2,000 kids. The place is tourist attraction but also very educational place for everyone. It's good to know some history facts from that past and how life was hard at that time, especially for women.

A great history tour - highly recommend a visit here . Very interesting and give a good outlook of what life used to be . Would recommend doing a guided tour to be able to make more sense of it all

A must visit - My recommendation is to take the tour with the guide. A person will get so much more information. There is an extra charge for the tour guide but well worth. Otherwise you can do the tour via your phone. There is a computer you can look up relatives. This experience was very interesting.

Blast from the Past - This was an interesting and well publicised tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and a good communicator. The history is well laid out for tourists.

Ripoff and a monument to modern feminism - Sorry to say but this place failed in many ways. We went to the female factory in Ross, Port Arthur and Sarah Island in Strahan. At those places we were just given the facts of what life was like there, not a forced opinion that came across as a feminist point of view. At Ross it was also free but still we got a lot of information there. Here at the Cascades Female Factory you walk into 3 large virtually empty spaces and have to either go on a tour that you have to pay more money or have to do an audio tour that chews up battery life on your phone as well as listen again to a very feminist point of view. When we go to historical places, we like to read at our own pace, just get the simple facts and make our own opinion on how things were. And to pay $25 each was ridiculous. There was a small building with some information signage but the rest was large empty spaces with modern sculptures. Ripoff and from reading reviews of the place prior to it being turned into a feminist ranting place, this used to be a decent place to lear and visit.