Port Arthur Historic Site

Port Arthur Historic Site on the Tasman Peninsula is one of Australia's best-known heritage places. Operating as a penal settlement from 1830 to 1877, it is now part of the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage listing, with more than 30 historic buildings, ruins and restored homes set in landscaped grounds beside the harbour.

Entry includes an introductory walking tour and a short harbour cruise past the Isle of the Dead and Point Puer, the former boys' prison. Additional tours of both islands and the popular evening ghost tours can be booked on site. Allow at least half a day — the site is about a 90-minute drive from Hobart.