Cascades Female Factory Historic Site [official]

Badge of Excellence

Hobart, Australia

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

2 to 3 hours (approx.)
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.5

· Margaret_P ·

Jan 2026

Experience the harsh reality of the treatment of women "convicts" and children during the late 19th century in Tazmania. Stories of their transportation to and lives in the prison are told through knowledgeable guides and exhibits at the Factory. It is an often overlooked part of history come to life.

· Margaret_D ·

Mar 2026

Excellent tours! Guides were so knowledgeable and enjoyed telling their stories. A hard look at history but so interesting!

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Overview

What's Included

Access to the World Heritage Site and gallery
Self-guided audio experience
Tours, as selected in options

Meeting and Pickup

Operating hours

Select your preferred ticket/pass option to see hours.

Departure Point

Cascades Female Factory Historic Site, 16 Degraves St South Hobart, Hobart, Tasmania 7004 Australia

Ticket Redemption Point

Cascades Female Factory Historic Site, 16 Degraves St, South Hobart TAS 7004, Australia

What To Expect

Cascades Female Factory Historic Site

Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.5

based on 122 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Definite to do

Margaret_D, Mar 2026

Excellent tours! Guides were so knowledgeable and enjoyed telling their stories. A hard look at history but so interesting!

Unforgettable

Lesley_D, Mar 2026

Matthew and Mark are amazing tour guides. Their knowledge is amazing. So many sad stories that must be retold and never forgotten.

Brings story of Female Convicts To Life

Bradley_G, Feb 2026

Amazing tours by passionate guides who make the convict ruins and the female convicts story come to life. Such amazing Australian history.

Staff enthusiastic....

David_S, Jan 2026

Staff enthusiastic. Informative on historical life at the start of colonisation from the woman’s perspective.

An incredible experience

Margaret_P, Jan 2026

Thought provoking and poignant...

KathyLynn_M, Dec 2025

A thought provoking and poignant experience like no other. I had previously taken the Hobart Penitentiary tour and been to the Freemantle prison (both about men prisoners) but treatment of women prisoners was so much worse. It is a travesty that only the Matrons Cottage still stands on the property with very few photos of what the site looked like while occupied by the women. The outlines of the buildings in the dirt give context to the tour information. I opted for a guided tour which was excellent and I recommend that over the self guided tour as you can have your questions answered in real time. I stayed for an extra tour about notorious ladies hosted my MARK which was so enlightening and happened in a different part of the prison site from the general tour. Don't miss this historic site and the dramatic information you can learn about this powerful site. It is an experience I won't soon forget. I am grateful to the National Trust that they have been able to keep this site maintained to this extent. It is an amazing and awesome experience about Tasmanian history.

An important inside into female treatment .

Helen_C, Nov 2025

Guides were informative and delivered the information well. There is not a lot to see so most of the history is given verbally by the guides. Their story they tell is an important one.

Such an eye opener!

Katrina_M, Sep 2025

Such an eye opener! How the ladies managed to survive under these conditions is beyond belief. To be thrown in to these conditions for the “crimes” committed is incredibly sad. We would highly recommend visiting. The staff are very knowledgeable and present a great tour.

Could have been much better

gail_h, Mar 2025

We had a great tour guide who told us so much about the Cascades, had it not been for him and his passion we would have been disappointed. Basically it’s just a big area like a playground with virtually nothing on it surrounded in high walls. A lot of the history is gone with the removal of the buildings so there’s nothing to see. Being a history buff myself it would have been good to go inside at least one of the buildings that these poor unfortunate women had to endure and try to imagine what it must of been like. By removing the buildings doesn’t remove the atrocious conditions as the site and walls are still there. But it does remove what could have been an even better experience for people like myself. Thank you to our tour guide.

Both tours were very well...

Maria_H, Dec 2024

Both tours were very well structured and delivered! The most exciting part was the humanistic and emotional aspect of the narrative complementing the whole experience left wanting more! Both tourist guides were tremendously knowledgeable and eager to fulfill our interest! Thank you both Sarah and the beautiful man conducting the first tour! So sorry I cannot remember the name of this gentleman, I was so excited to be there, and being the first tour I missed it! So sorry!

Sad but very informative....

Rookey, Oct 2024

Sad but very informative. Very well thought out. Great presentation. A great example of how to make a historic site interesting when little more than walls are remaining.