Artist Audrey Flockart’s detailed model of Port Arthur lovingly restored after a decade in storage

Parents are being urged to take their kids to Port Arthur in the coming school holiday period, after a painstakingly detailed model of the penal colony was restored and put on display once more.

The huge 3.5 metre by 2.5 metre three-dimensional model of Port Arthur is built to scale and depicts the site in 1870. The model was created in 1973 by Tasmanian artist Audrey Flockart, who spent more than two years creating the exact scale of the site and all its details by hand. It includes more than 50 buildings, accurate topography, waterways, scale and shapes for all of the buildings from the convict period. Picture: Supplied

A three-dimensional model of the Port Arthur penal colony, depicting the historic settlement in exhaustive detail, has been restored and put on public display again after it languished in storage for more than a decade.

The large 3.5m x 2.5m model, which replicates the site as it appeared in 1870, was built in 1973 by the late artist Audrey Flockart, who spent two years studying maps, historic photos, and 19th century architectural drawings, as well as taking long walks at Port Arthur to soak up the atmosphere and find inspiration.

Made using materials including aluminium, copper, steel wool, polystyrene, fibreglass, and wood, Flockart’s model is built to scale and includes more than 50 buildings, as well as accurate topography, waterways, and little soldiers, timber gangs, and staff at work on-site.

The huge 3.5 metre by 2.5 metre three-dimensional model of Port Arthur is built to scale and depicts the site in 1870. Picture: Supplied

It was a beloved attraction at the Port Arthur Historic Site for 40 years before it was put in storage as part of the redevelopment of the visitor centre, which was completed in 2017.

Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority (PAHSMA) CEO Will Flamsteed said the restoration of Flockart’s masterpiece had been a “passion project” for all involved.

Model maker Ewin Wood with a one-of-a-kind model of Tasmania’s most infamous penal colony, Port Arthur, as it appeared during the convict period. The model had been hidden in storage for more than a decade and is once again on display at the Port Arthur Historic Site. Picture: Alastair Bett

“It’s a real gift for a whole new generation of Tasmanians who can get a bird’s eye view of the scale of the colony that you just can’t get when you walk the grounds,” he said.

“Our vision at Port Arthur is about connecting people with our complex history to inspire, engage and shape the future, and that’s what we hope this model will do.”

The model was deconstructed in June last year, placed into crates, and shipped to model maker Ewin Wood for restoration. It was returned to Port Arthur in March and required 10 people to install it in a new showcase.

Will Flamsteed CEO Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

PAHSMA interpretation and experience manager David Perkins said Flockart had depicted the site in 1870 because the colony had shut down in 1877 and bushfires destroyed many historic buildings in the 1890s.

“With school holidays starting next week, we hope that many kids and their families can enjoy the model, just as they did more than 50 years ago,” he said.

Originally published as Artist Audrey Flockart’s detailed model of Port Arthur lovingly restored after a decade in storage