Port Arthur

The Port Arthur Historic Site has more than 30 buildings, ruins and restored period homes, dating from the prison’s establishment in 1830 until its closure in 1877. During this time about 12,500 convicts served sentences and for many it was a living hell.

Today, the Site sits in 40 hectares (90 acres) of landscaped grounds, and you need to allow plenty of time to fully experience all that the Site has to offer.

Your entry card is valid for two consecutive days and includes:

• Thirty-six-page souvenir guide book (available in English, French, German, Mandarin or Japanese).
• Forty-minute guided walking tour – a fascinating introduction to the site
• Twenty-minute harbour cruise on the MV Marana
• Access to 30 buildings, ruins and restored houses on the Site
• Interactive experiences for all ages in the Visitor Centre, featuring the Lottery of Life, as well as our Museum and Convict Study Centre
• Convict Water Supply Trail, the Dockyard and the Coal Mines Historic Site at Saltwater River
• Shuttle buggy service for people with restricted mobility.

For a small additional fee you can also cruise to the Isle of the Dead and join a guided tour of Port Arthur’s island burial ground. The tour provides an insight into the lives of those who were part of the penal settlement including convicts, soldiers, civilians and their families.

Or you can take a trip to Point Puer Boys Prison. This was the first reformatory in the British Empire built exclusively for juvenile male convicts. Point Puer was renowned for its regime of stern discipline and harsh punishment. You can walk among the remains of structures built by the boys in a bush landscape little changed since the 19th century.