1. Daytime entry to Port Arthur Historic Sites for 2 consecutive days
2. One 40-minute guided Introductory Walking Tour
3. One 25-minute Harbour Cruise
4. Access to more than 30 historic buildings, ruins, gardens and restored houses
5. Entry to the Port Arthur Gallery, which includes interactive exhibits and displays that tell the story of the Port Arthur Historic Site and its people.
Darkness falls and a hidden side of historic Port Arthur emerges.
Family (2 Adults +6 Children)
1. Transport from/to hotel
Arthur Highway, Port Arthur TAS 7182 Australia
● By Car
Port Arthur Historic Site is a 90-minute drive from Hobart, and the journey offers some of the best sightseeing in Tasmania. The Arthur Highway winds through lush farmland and forest, inviting beaches, and the Tasman Peninsula's famously scenic coastline. Allow enough time to stop along the way and explore places like the Tesselated Pavement at Eaglehawk Neck, and dramatic coastal sites such as the Blowhole, Tasman Arch, Devil's Kitchen and Pirate's Bay Lookout.
● Driving Tips
Fill your car with fuel before you begin your journey. Most service stations on the Peninsula close before 6:00pm. The closest petrol station to Port Arthur Historic Site is less than a km away however hours do vary throughout the year.
Check hire car restrictions. Some car rental companies have limitations on where you can drive. The Arthur Highway is a sealed road, but many smaller roads on the Tasman Peninsula are unsealed or rough, so check your route, and your hire agreement, before you begin.
Watch for wildlife. Native wildlife is abundant on the Tasman Peninsula, and most marsupial species are active at dawn and dusk. Take special care when driving at these times, when wildlife is often encountered along the roadside.
Visitor Centre Open from 09:00 until the conclusion of our nightly Ghost Tours.
Grounds and Gardens Open from 09:00 until dusk.
Houses and Buildings 10:00 - 17:00
Christmas (25 December) 09:00 - 15:00
What to bring/wear
● Dress in comfortable, layered clothing
● Bring a raincoat (umbrellas are of limited use in the wind!)
● Wear comfortable shoes, suitable for walking
● Pack sunscreen and a hat
● Check the weather forecast before your visit and dress for the conditions
● A shuttle buggy service for people with restricted mobility is available between 10am and 3pm daily, with an extended service offered during summer.
● All our tours take place in the open air
● While most of our tours are conducted only in English, our introductory guided walking tour is also conducted in Mandarin every day.
● The ferry leaves punctually, so please make sure you arrive at the jetty ten minutes before your cruise time
The Port Arthur penal station was established in 1830 as a timber-getting camp, using convict labour to produce sawn logs for government projects. Today, the Port Arthur Historic Site is one of Australia's most important heritage sites and tourist destinations. Located on the scenic Tasman Peninsula in the south east of Tasmania, it offers a unique and essential experience for all visitors to the area.
The Port Arthur Historic Site – a World Heritage site
The Port Arthur Historic Site is one of Australia's World Heritage listed convict heritage sites and the best-preserved convict settlement in Australia.
It is also one of the most visited and important cultural tourism destinations in Australia, a place that all visitors to Australia's island state of Tasmania should see.
Who Were The Convicts?
After the American War of Independence Britain could no longer send her convicts to America, so after 1788 they were transported to the Australian colonies.
These men and women were convicted of crimes that seem trivial today, mostly stealing small articles or livestock, but they had been convicted at least once before and Britain's policy was to treat such re-offenders harshly.
The convicts sent to Van Diemen's Land were most likely to be poor young people from rural areas or from the slums of big cities. One in five was a woman. Numbers of children were also transported with their parents. Few returned home.
From 1830 until 1877, Port Arthur was the place where convicts who reoffended after arriving in the British colonies of Van Diemen's Land (now called Tasmania) or New South Wales were imprisoned. A key element of the colonial system of convict discipline, Port Arthur was located in a remote, harsh area that offered no chance of escape, the ideal destination for repeat offenders. In its time, it was a groundbreaking attempt to deal with issues of crime and punishment that all societies continue to address today.
Port Arthur was also much more than a prison. It was a complete community—home to the military personnel and free settlers who worked here, an industrial complex producing a huge range of resources and materials and a working farm. Towards the end of its use it also housed large numbers of the chronically mentally and physically ill, known as 'paupers' and 'lunatics'.
Major Australian Heritage Tourism Attraction
Today the Port Arthur Historic Site is one of Australia's most visited heritage attractions and has won many awards, including being named Best Heritage Tourism Experience in Australia by Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Spread over an extensive landscape of gardens, parkland and natural bush, the Site contains more than thirty historic buildings and ruins. Some of its structures were partially destroyed in bushfires in the late nineteenth century; their remains give the place an eerie, yet dignified, ambiance.
The Port Arthur Historic Site is one of eleven places including in the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property.
Beautiful Scenery and Amazing Stories
As you walk around the Site, the powerful personal stories of convicts, soldiers, free settlers and their families will reveal themselves to you. Port Arthur's tale is told in many ways. It will stay with you long after you have departed.
Even if you are not captivated by its history, the gardens, grounds and charismatic ruins of this beautiful place, on the edge of a magnificent harbour and surrounded by bush little changed since convict days, will enchant you.
Everyone should visit
Port Arthur is a place that every visitor to Australia should visit. The Historic Site is located on the Tasman Peninsula approximately 100km south-east of Hobart, capital city of the island state of Tasmania. The Site's spectacular scenery combines with charismatic ruins and powerful storytelling to offer a unique and memorable insight into Australia's history and culture.
Spending a night or two in the area will allow time to experience Port Arthur's famous Ghost Tour, enjoy a meal of fresh local produce at Felons Bistro, visit the Coal Mines Historic Site at Saltwater River, (about 25 minutes drive from Port Arthur), and explore the stunning coastal scenery of the region.
Suggested Full Day Itinerary
Join the 40 minute Introductory Walking Tour to get your bearings, and the 20 minute Harbour cruise, both of which are included in you entry ticket. Or pick up an Audio iPod Tour from the Visitors Centre and take a self guided walk around the site.
Wander through the site and have a look at the Penitentiary, the Commandant's house, the Military Precinct, the Hospital, the Separate Prison, the Asylum, Civil Officers' Row and the Convict Church.
Join a Museum House Talk at one of our two furnished museum homes to hear about the lives of the free settlers at Port Arthur.
Visit the Museum Coffee Shop for lunch and either dine in, or take a picnic out onto the lawns.
Don't forget to visit the Gift Shop before you leave to pick up a souvenir to remind you of your visit.
What better to way to finish off a day exploring Port Arthur than with a tasty meal at Museum Coffee Shop.
The Port Arthur Historic Site is a place of national and international significance – part of the epic story of the settlement of this country.
Port Arthur was much more than a prison. It was a complete community – home to military personnel and free settlers. The convicts worked at farming and industries, producing a large range of resources and materials.
The Port Arthur Historic Site contains more than 30 historic buildings, extensive ruins and beautiful grounds and gardens.
A short harbour cruise passing the Dockyard, Point Puer Boys' Prison and the Isle of the Dead.
A 40-minute introductory walking tour – a fascinating introduction to Port Arthur, its people and its past
The Port Arthur Historic Site is one of 11 historic sites that together form the Australian Convicts Sites World Heritage property.
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