Port Arthur Tas: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
For almost fifty years, from 1830 to 1877, Port Arthur was where the colony sent the men it considered the worst: convicts who had reoffended after arriving in Van Diemen's Land. Today it is a green, quiet place on a calm bay, and that contrast is part of the visit. This walk goes through the settlement and out by boat to its island cemetery and its prison for boys. Give it a full day — the ticket is valid for two — and book the boat tours when you buy it, since they run at set times.
A short history of Port Arthur Tas
Port Arthur began in 1830 as a convict timber station, and from 1833 to 1877 it was Tasmania's main penal settlement, to which convicts who reoffended after being transported from Britain were sent. The peninsula on which it sits is joined to the mainland by a narrow neck, where dogs were kept chained so that no one could escape. After the prison closed, some of the buildings were burned in bushfires, and the place became a tourist site. On 28 April 1996 a lone gunman killed 35 people here, and the massacre led to strict gun laws throughout Australia. In 2010 the site, together with ten other convict sites in Australia, was declared a World Heritage Site.
The ten best sights in Port Arthur Tas
1Port Arthur Historic SiteThe ticket covers two days, a guided walk and a short harbour cruise
2PenitentiaryThe roofless shell everyone photographs; go inside to see the cell lines
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3Separate Prison
Stand in the punishment cell with the door shut — a minute is enough
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4Isle of the Dead
Reached only on a guided boat tour; book it with the entry ticket
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5Point Puer
The boys' prison across the bay; little is left, so take the guided tour
6Memorial GardenA quiet place for the victims of 1996; guides prefer not to be asked about it
7Coal Mines Historic SiteFree and usually empty; ruins in the bush half an hour north-west
8Officers' Quarters MuseumA small free museum at the Neck, on the way in
9Tasman ArchTwo minutes from the car park; the fenced lookout is safe for children
10Devils KitchenNext to the arch on the same road; come when the swell is up
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Port Arthur Tas →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Port Arthur Tas:
Free walking tours in Port Arthur Tas
The prison by the bay
For almost fifty years, from 1830 to 1877, Port Arthur was where the colony sent the men it considered the worst: convicts who had reoffended after arriving in Van Diemen's Land. Today it is a green, quiet place on a calm bay, and that contrast is part of the visit. This walk goes through the settlement and out by boat to its island cemetery and its prison for boys. Give it a full day — the ticket is valid for two — and book the boat tours when you buy it, since they run at set times.
- Port Arthur Historic Site · The settlement was named after George Arthur, the lieutenant-governor of Van Diemen's Land. In 2010 it became one of eleven places listed together by UNESCO as the Australian Convict Sites.
- Penitentiary · The building began in the 1840s as a flour mill and granary, and was turned into a prison block in the 1850s. Bushfires after the settlement closed burned out its roof and floors, which is why it stands as a shell.
- Separate Prison · Here the punishment was silence instead of the lash: prisoners were kept alone, wore hoods outside their cells and were known by numbers. Even in chapel each man sat in his own walled stall so he could see only the preacher.
- Memorial Garden · On 28 April 1996 a gunman killed 35 people here and nearby. The shell of the Broad Arrow Café stands in the garden by a reflecting pool, and within weeks Australia's governments agreed on the strict gun laws the country still keeps.
- Isle of the Dead · More than a thousand people are buried on the little island. Officers and free settlers got carved headstones; convicts were mostly buried in unmarked graves on the lower ground.
- Point Puer · From 1834 to 1849 this point held a separate prison for convict boys, some only nine years old. It is usually described as the first prison built for juveniles anywhere in the British Empire.
The Neck and the sea cliffs
The Tasman Peninsula hangs off the rest of Tasmania by a strip of sand at Eaglehawk Neck, and that strip was the prison's outer wall: guards and dogs held it so no one could walk out. Just south of it the ocean has cut the cliffs into arches, chasms and blowholes, all within a few minutes of one road. This is a short half day, easy to do on the drive in before checking in. Hold on to children at the edges — most lookouts are fenced, the cliffs around them are not.
- Tessellated Pavement · The flat rock is siltstone cracked into a near-perfect grid. Salt crystals wear the tiles differently: some dry out into raised loaves, others hold water and are scoured into shallow pans.
- Eaglehawk Neck · Across the narrowest part of the isthmus the guards chained a line of savage dogs, with lamps lit at night, to stop escaped convicts. The bushranger Martin Cash still got past in 1842 by swimming the bay beside it.
- Doo Town · Almost every holiday shack in this hamlet carries a name built on the word "Doo": Doo Drop Inn, Make Doo, Doo Nothing. The joke has been going for generations, and new owners are expected to keep it up.
- Tasman Arch · The arch is what is left of the roof of a sea cave. The waves keep working at its base, and one day it will fall and leave a chasm like the one a few hundred metres away.
- Devils Kitchen · This is the arch's future: a narrow slot in the cliff where the roof has already collapsed. In a big swell the water churns and boils at the bottom, which gave the place its name.
- Waterfall Bay · A creek drops off the sea cliff straight into the bay after rain. A cliff-top path also links it with the Devils Kitchen car park, with lookouts along the way.
Devils, coal and the capes
Beyond the historic site the peninsula is mostly forest and some of the highest sea cliffs in Australia, columns of dolerite dropping into the Southern Ocean. This loop mixes the animal everyone wants to see, the convicts' coal mine, and the two capes you can walk to. It is too much for one day if you do both cape walks: pick one, Hauy for the sea stacks or Raoul for the columns, and drive past the rest. Fill up and buy lunch before you leave — the shops close early and some roads are gravel.
- Tasmanian Devil Unzoo · Since the 1990s a contagious facial cancer has killed most of Tasmania's wild devils. The peninsula joins the rest of the island only by narrow necks, so it has been used as a refuge for disease-free devils.
- Coal Mines Historic Site · Opened in 1833, this was the first working mine in Tasmania, and convicts sent here for punishment dug coal underground. Worry over the men's conduct in the crowded cells, and the cost, led the government to give it up in 1848.
- Fortescue Bay · The Three Capes Track, a four-day walk that starts with a boat from Port Arthur, finishes on this beach. Day walkers start here for Cape Hauy and share the last stretch with them.
- Cape Hauy · The cape was named by the French expedition of Bruni d'Entrecasteaux after the mineralogist René Just Haüy. Off its tip stand the Totem Pole and the Candlestick, thin sea stacks that climbers come from abroad to scale.
- Remarkable Cave · The sea has cut a tunnel right through the cliff, and from the platform the opening at the far end is often said to look like the outline of Tasmania. At high tide waves surge all the way through it.
- Cape Raoul · Cape Raoul is made of dolerite that cooled into tall columns like organ pipes. It is one of the three capes the walking track is named after, and the day walk out to it takes about five hours return.
Getting to Port Arthur Tas and getting around
- Hobart Airport · About an hour and a half by car; Sorell, on the way, has the last big supermarket
- Denison Canal · The swing bridge at Dunalley opens for boats; a few minutes' wait is normal
Cheap eats in Port Arthur Tas
There is not much choice on the peninsula, and it shows: a handful of cafés, two or three pubs, and the bistro inside the historic site's visitor centre. What is good here comes from the water and the farms — oysters around Dunalley, berries at Sorell, lavender and chocolate along the main road. Most places close by late afternoon, so plan lunch on the drive in and buy supplies in Sorell.
- Port Arthur Lavender · Café on a lavender farm; light lunch and coffee about A$10-25
- Federation Chocolate · Chocolate and coffee at Taranna, near the Unzoo; a treat about A$5-15
- Fox & Hounds Inn · Counter meals a few minutes north of the site, mains about A$25-38
- Bangor Vineyard Shed · Oysters and farm wine near Dunalley; a dozen about A$30-40, lunch only
- Dunalley Hotel · Pub lunch by the canal on the drive in, about A$22-35
- Sorell Fruit Farm · Café and pick-your-own on the way from Hobart, about A$10-20
Museums in Port Arthur Tas
- Port Arthur Historic Site · More than thirty buildings and ruins; start in the gallery under the visitor centre
- Coal Mines Historic Site · Ruins and signboards in the bush; free and rarely busy
- Officers' Quarters Museum · A timber building of the old guard post at the Neck; ten minutes, free
- Separate Prison · Inside the historic site; the chapel stalls are the thing to see
Nature and day trips near Port Arthur Tas
- Tasman Arch · Short paths to the arch, the Devils Kitchen and the blowhole
- Cape Hauy · The best day walk on the peninsula, about four hours return
- Remarkable Cave · A sea tunnel ten minutes past the historic site
- Tessellated Pavement · Natural tiles on the shore; best at low tide
- Fortescue Bay · A sheltered beach at the end of a gravel road; good for a swim on a hot day
Things to do in Port Arthur Tas with kids
- Tasmanian Devil Unzoo · Devils, quolls and birds in open bush; feeding talks through the day
- Port Arthur Historic Site · Lots of room to run between ruins; the harbour cruise is included
- Doo Town · Spot the funniest "Doo" sign, then watch the blowhole
- Tessellated Pavement · Rock pools and tiles to hop across at low tide
- Federation Chocolate · A chocolate stop after the devils
Where to eat in Port Arthur Tas
- Gabriel's on the Bay · Dinner with a water view, minutes from the site; book ahead
- Fox & Hounds Inn · Pub dinner close to the site; fish and steak
- Lufra Hotel · Bistro over Pirates Bay at Eaglehawk Neck, about twenty minutes north
- Dunalley Hotel · If you arrive late from Hobart, the last proper meal before the peninsula
Frequently asked questions about Port Arthur Tas
What is there to see in Port Arthur Tas?
The top sights in Port Arthur Tas are Port Arthur Historic Site, Penitentiary and Separate Prison. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Port Arthur Tas?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Port Arthur Tas without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Port Arthur Tas?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Port Arthur Tas, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The prison by the bay.
How do you get to Port Arthur Tas and get around?
The main ways are Hobart Airport and Denison Canal. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Port Arthur Tas, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Port Arthur Tas that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Port Arthur Tas for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.