Port Arthur

Port Arthur is a quaint village, which is better known for the well-preserved penal colony buildings at the Port Arthur Historic Site.

What’s special about Port Arthur?

The UNECSO World Heritage listed Port Arthur Historic Site.
Spectacular coastline.

Be sure to spend some time in the village of Port Arthur, often missed because of the significance of the Historic Site. There is so much to experience in the area that you may want to consider staying overnight; particularly as entry passes to the Site are valid for two days.

Surfing, sea kayaking and bushwalking are popular and the coastline is spectacular. A short drive south of Port Arthur will take you to Remarkable Cave, a cave-like opening that leads out to sea. From here you can walk to Crescent Bay, a secluded curve of striking beauty backed by huge sand dunes. For a different view, take the plunge and dive amongst rich marine life in waters that offer some of the best temperate diving in Australia and explore the local shipwreck sites.

Just 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) north-west is the (also UNESCO World Heritage listed) Coal Mines Historic Site, where interpretive signs explain the harsh lives and working conditions of repeat offenders from Port Arthur who worked underground extracting coal. Look out for Doo Town, a quirky shack community devoted to homes with a theme: “GunnaDo”, “She’ll Doo”, "Humpty Doo” – and many more.

Port Arthur’s maximum average daily temperature is 18.5 degrees Celsius (65.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in January and 11.5 degrees (52 degrees Fahrenheit) in June. It is 93 kilometres (58 miles) south-east of Hobart on the A9.

More things to do:

Eaglehawk Neck
Devil’s Kitchen
Isle of the Dead

The story of Port Arthur:

The settlement began life in 1830 as a timber station. Governor Arthur chose the Tasman Peninsula as an ideal place to put prisoners. In the years that followed, convicts created a small town for 1,100 inmates at its peak in the early 1840s.

Travel directions:

Port Arthur is approximately 90 minutes’ (100 kilometres/62.5 miles) from Hobart. What today is an easy drive was once a significant distance to locate the 'ultimate penal colony'.

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