Port Arthur

Port Arthur is on the Tasman Peninsula, east of Hobart. From 1833 to 1877 it was a penal settlement where the convicts were employed in hard labour such as stone cutting, timber and coal mining. The narrow (30m wide) isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck which joins the Tasman Peninsula to the rest of Tasmania was protected with guards and a line of chained guard dogs. Thus the peninsula served as an Australian “Alcatraz”.

Just before reaching Eaglehawk Neck there is an impressive tessellated pavement at the edge of the seashore. Because of the rectangular layout of the joints it was hard not to think that it was man made.

Photo Gallery: Tessellated Pavement, Lufra, Tasmania…

I detoured through Doo Town to view the blow holes at Tasman Arch, before heading south towards Port Arthur.

Photo Gallery: Eaglehawk Neck and Tasman Arch coast…

Port Arthur Penitentiary (Martin Pot, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

I’m now somewhat puzzled. I have no recollection of visiting the historic site of Port Arthur. I don’t remember seeing the buildings there (shown in the photo from the web) and I have no photographs of my own. However I do have some (not very impressive!) photographs of “Remarkable Cave” which is further south of Port Arthur. I can only assume that the Port Arthur Historic Site must have been closed the day I visited.

Photo Gallery: Remarkable Cave…

Although I may not have visited the main historic site, I did visit the Coal Mines site which is towards the northwest corner of the peninsula. On the way I passed a kookaburra perched on a road sign.

Photo Gallery: Coal Mines Site…

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