port arthur was sold as an inescapable prison, much like the later alcatraz island in the united states. some prisoners were not discouraged by this, and tried to escape. martin cash successfully escaped along with two others. one of the most infamous incidents, simply for its bizarreness, was the escape attempt of one george "billy" hunt. hunt disguised himself using a kangaroo hide and tried to flee across the neck, but the half-starved guards on duty tried to shoot him to supplement their meager rations. when he noticed them sighting him up, hunt threw off his disguise and surrendered, receiving 150 lashes.