mount saint canice was a catholic convent first opened in hobart, tasmania, australia by the good shepherd sisters in 1893. the sisters began to take in young women who were perceived to have fallen short of the morals and values of the times. the mount saint canice convent was to become known as the magdalene laundry and was one of ten such laundries in operation throughout australia. they were based on existing magdalene laundries in ireland. "the magdalene laundries were workhouses in which many irish women and girls were effectively imprisoned because they were perceived to be a threat to the moral fiber of society."