Port Arthur is a historic convict settlement and small town located on the Tasman Peninsular about 2 hours east of Hobart. Built by the English during the 18th & 19th Century to settle convicts from the UK, it holds cultural & historical significance and since 2010 has been a UNESCO World Heritage listed site.
Port Arthur is one of Tasmania's top tourist attractions with many visitors flocking to see what life was like during the early years of European settlement in Tasmania. It was once a bustling community housing well over 2000 convicts. The main industries of Port Arthur were Timber felling, boat building and brick making. During the years Port Arthur was operating as a prison the convicts were very productive, the timber and other materials produced here were considered some of the best in the country. Port Arthur site has many amazing building still standing although in various states of repair.
The Tasman Peninsula has many other fantastic attractions to compliment the Port Arthur Historic site. The Tessellated Pavement boasts some of the most unusual and unique rock patterns anywhere in the country. It is complimented by fantastic seascape vistas at the Pirates Bay lookout point and Tasman's Arch. Near the bottom of the peninsula is the delightful lookout at Cape Raoul. This spot gazes due south in the Great Southern Ocean where the next land mass is Antarctica some 3000km away.
