Maria Island – Feb. 19th

The first European to chart Maria Island was Abel Tasman in 1642.  A convict settlement called Darlington was set up on the island in 1825.  It was thought that it would be a good spot since prisoners couldn’t escape easily off the island, but they just made boats out of the plentiful wood and rowed to freedom.  It was abandoned in 1832 and was then used for whaling and sealing.  Between 1842 and 1850 it was again used as a destination for convicts.  After that, the island was used for farming and a base for fishermen.  This changed under the Bernacchi period from 1884 to 1900.  Diego Bernacchi and his wife Barbe leased the island and established a wine and silk industry.  After that it was only used by farmers and fisherman until 1922 when the National Portland Cement Company used the natural limestone on the island to make cement.  This lasted until the depression in the 1930s.  The cement company closed and the island’s population began to dwindle.  Farming again became the main occupation.  In the 1960s the island was converted into a wildlife reserve and it was later made into a national park in 1972.