Step back into Tasmania’s past as a penal colony and learn about the lives of convicts who were sent to one of the harshest settlements in the British Empire.
The UNESCO-listed Port Arthur was one of the British Empire’s most brutal penal settlements. Located on the stunning Mason Cove, the natural beauty of the landscape stands in stark contrast to the history of convict prisoners who were sent here, condemned to hard labour. See these stunning ruins at your own pace or on a guided or themed tour.
The penal settlement in Port Arthur began as a small timber station in 1830 and rapidly grew to become one the most important colonies in the Southern Hemisphere.
Explore the various buildings, including the mess room, chapel, library and workshops of the eerie Penitentiary. See the Separate Prison, which was reserved for solitary confinement. Walk through the former morgue in the crumbling hospital and down the aisle of the ruined Convict Church, which overlooks the settlement.
Step between the fallen walls of the Coal Mines Historic Site, Tasmania’s first operational mine, where the worst of offenders were sent to work underground. When the mines were at peak production, up to 600 miners, jailers and their families lived here.
Smell the flowers in the ornamental Government Gardens and meander through the reconstructed private grounds of the Commandant’s House. Step behind the separating masonry walls and into the most senior official’s residence where furnishings and artifacts tell how different daily life as an officer was compared to that of a convict.
Historic Port Arthur also has a memorial garden for the people who lost their lives in the shooting that took place there.
Admission can be combined with exciting guided tours, including a cruise to the Isle of the Dead Cemetery, where over 1,000 convicts were buried between 1833 and 1877, or to the Point Puer Boys Prison, where inmates were as young as nine years old. Themed evening tours include a Ghost Tour and The Paranormal Investigation.
Port Arthur is a scenic 1.5-hour drive from Hobart. Entrance passes are valid for two days and include all-site admission, a walking tour, a cruise on the MV Marana, entry to historic buildings and for people experiencing mobility difficulties, access the gardens shuttle buggy. Prices differ for adults, children, families and concession cardholders.
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