Convict William Walker managed to escape from Tasmania on a stolen ship, sailed the Asia Pacific, and eventually found himself in London.
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But this successful dodger became one of history's most dire escapees.
In an unlucky twist of fate Walker was spotted in London by a Hobart jailer, there ending his life as an escapee, and he was transported back to the land of the devil and its die-hard prison.
Fellow convict James May, who was sent to the Port Arthur penal settlement for his involvement in the black market trade of snatching bodies for dissection, eventually died at the dreaded site.
Could he too have succumbed to the surgeon's knife like that of his victims?
The Wheel of Fate turned for these souls in the most unfortunate of ways, where they ended up in a punishment system touted as sending men mad.
Their stories, and others', are being shared in a new, intimate, bespoke tourist experience at the World Heritage listed Port Arthur Historic Site, the best preserved convict site in Australia, and among the most significant sites internationally.
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The $900 Wheel of Fate tour is one of 22 experiences offered by Cultural Attractions of Australia, a collective connected to Tourism Australia that aims to offer premium, unique experiences those who want something extra for their holiday.
It was offered alongside a $50,000 Dinner with David two day tour at Mona, a 24-hour $1500 immersion tour in the art of James Turrell, also at Mona, a $5000 opportunity to sing with Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House, and a $39,000 experience to privately tour the National Gallery of Victoria in an evening of art, music, degustation and wine.
Port Arthur Historic Site guiding manager Jake Bradshaw said Wheel of Fate looked at the lottery draw of life for the convicts that passed through Port Arthur, and was an exclusive opportunity for visitors to voice their passions and interests at the time of bookings, to receive a tailored guiding experience.
The base tour involves a visit to the senior-officials Commandant's House including drinks from McHenry Distillery in the drawing room, a tour of the separate prison and penitentiary which will be closed off to the public for 30 minutes, and a trip to the basement of the Visiting Magistrates Cottage.
Other areas within the historic site that are normally not open to the public may also be visited, depending on individual preference.
Guests will then receive dinner in the Visiting Magistrates Cottage dining room, which overlooks much of the World Heritage site, and taste the local delights prepared by in-house chef Ben Bates.
Here, local wines from Bangor Vineyard Shed, Bream Creek Vineyard and Norfok Bay will be paired with seasonal fresh produce from the Tasman Peninsula such as rock lobster, abalone, scallops, truffles, saffron, wasabi leaf, as well as anything else Bates forages onsite, including walnuts, pears, apples and rhubarb.
Mr Bradshaw said that over the six hour tour guests will have ample opportunity to converse in-depth with their guides, but may also choose a $300 optional upgrade with a conservation expert.
"Our tour guides are central to our visitor experience, some with over 24 years experience," Mr Bradshaw said.
"We are offering this on a premium level, telling lots of great stories about the individual people that were here, plucking out some of our most interesting characters. Some of them [the convicts] got out of the system, maybe becoming successful settlers, while others got sucked up by the system, and ended up on the Isle of the Dead."
Second-in-charge guide Colin Knight is a Tasman Peninsula local with over 24 years of experience guiding at the site.
This is the man who will prompt guests to ruminate about 19th Century life, allowing them to imagine being seated in the drawing room with the penal settlement's Commandant, whilst hearing the sounds of a piano in their minds-eye, as convicts slave away nearby.
"While they are having their soiree and polite conversation, with entertainment, sitting around a table, the Port Arthur penal settlement doesn't exist. It was like getting away from it all, but there would be a point in time where they would have to up stumps and be escorted back to their reality."
Mr Knight said it was likely that the best things available at that time would of been presented.
"It would of been pre-dinner drinks and conversation, and upon a signal from the master servant, who would of been a convict - in fact one of the commandants servants was a murderer - they would be ushered into the dining room for dinner," he said.
"One of the rations of the time was salted meat, not corned beef or so on, but meat that was salted so heavily that the process removes all the moisture from it, so bacteria can't get in. They might boil that for a couple of hours to reconstitute it ... but prior to these events they would of been on the look out for wallaby, or fresh fish - abaone, oysters - to put on as good as spread as they possibly could."
For this part of the tour Mr Knight has conducted research about convict John McNannie.
Mr Knight said that at the age of 13 McNannie, following in his father's footsteps, joined the British Regiment, and eventually fought in the historically significant Battle of Waterloo, a battle that ended 23 years of domination over Europe by French military leader Napolean Bonaparte.
For McNannie, who was injured, life after the battle took a different turn.
"He was wounded and they had to amputate his arm below the elbow. He survived that, and the secondary infection, loss of blood and all the other things that can take you out, and went back to England," Mr Knight said.
"What always occurred to me in a situation like this is that for a brief period of time these people were not in the prison anymore," Mr Knight said.
"But because he was a soldier since the age of 13 he had no practical skills so to increase his income he started working at an alehouse, fell into the nefarious practice of receiving stolen goods, and got caught. He was transported for 14 years, and after a minor misdemeanour in Hobart, was sent to Port Arthur."
Mr Knight said this is where the Wheel of Fate and the luck of McNannie's draw ends.
He said he often wonders whether the Commandant Charles O'Hara Booth would have had any sympathy or respect for this convict, who was a criminal but also a British national hero.
"The crux of McNannie's story is that here he was, a very good soldier, who fought at these monumental war events, particularly Waterloo, who is wounded in battle - but then his life is ruined ... he is sent to Port Arthur, and eventually ends up on the Isle of the Dead, eleven thousand miles from home."
Mr Bradshaw said there are thousands of potential stories, like that of Walker, brought to life by more than 9,500 historical records, that could be used during these premium tours, depending on the guests individual interests.
Personal interests such as military history, crime and punishment, heritage building restoration, rare antiques and even heritage gardens.
"We can delve into interests and use the landscape of Port Arthur to find really interesting stories that may connect to our guests.
"It is about really good story telling and really good stories. In a really intimate group you get the opportunity to have a great conversation."
