What is Port Arthur in Tasmania?
Port Arthur is a former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania. It operated from 1830 to 1877 and is part of the World Heritage-listed Australian Convict Sites.
Port Arthur began as a timber station and became a prison for repeat offenders from across the British colonies. It was known for harsh discipline.
The Separate Prison used silence and isolation as punishment. The Penitentiary held hundreds of men.
Visiting the site
Visitors explore over 30 buildings and ruins. Ghost tours run at night.
In 1996, a mass shooting killed 35 people at Port Arthur. It led to strict national gun laws.
The site is about 90 minutes from Hobart.
Convicts at Port Arthur worked in timber cutting, shipbuilding, brick making and shoemaking, and the settlement became an important industrial centre. The Isle of the Dead, in the harbour, served as the cemetery for convicts, soldiers and free settlers. Today the Port Arthur Historic Site is managed by a government authority and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Harbour cruises, gardens and a museum help tell the story of the people who lived there. A memorial garden honours the victims of 1996.
Did You Know?
Point Puer, near Port Arthur, was a prison for boys.