Sitting on the rear hill overlooking the settlement, you can begin to imagine the daily hardships and characters that the prisoners must have endured.

It is truly worth spending a full day here to explore the remaining buildings and read their historical purpose and accompanying stories.

Originally a small town with a timber yard, it was deemed a good site for a penitentiary with various other industries growing accordingly alongside it at the same time.

Britain sent as many as 12,000 convicts to Port Arthur as a punishment for a second offence quite often for trivial crimes like stealing a handkerchief.
Prisoners were tasked with extracting and retrieving the timber and life (if you can call it that) was hard and painful.

The last convict was sent in 1877.

We had a truly amazing day out at Port Arthur and you can too!
Pre-purchase your tickets HERE via our link. We appreciate all sales to help keep the website going!

Most visitors will come by tour group or rent a car from Hobart. Public transport is not a practical option but private transfers are available.

If driving from Hobart, the journey is about an hour and a half (100km) depending on traffic conditions.

HOT TIP – Please take care as the road once you pass Sorell is good but narrow and speeding and overtaking is common from other drivers.
Another major thing to be alert for is wildlife on the road which can be sudden and dangerous. Take it slow, especially at night.

The site is open from 9am to 5pm and you are free to wander the grounds and explore the buildings. Your ticket is valid for 2 days.

Check the timetable for the FREE guided talks and 20 minute boat ride which are also included.

You can add on a guided tour and stop at the Isle of the Dead on the cruise if you like as well.

There are a couple of restaurants on site so you can break for lunch as well but like all touristy places, it ain’t cheap!

If you have a belief for things from the other side this would be a no-brainer as one of the best places to do a ghost tour. If you have time to kill and money to spare, this might be a fun add-on to your holiday. In reality the ghost tour wasn’t the scariest one we’ve been on.

The guide was great and as we went from site to site, stories were told and assumptions were made…

But the group was too large for our liking (it will differ of course day to day) and some stories went on for too long and the group became a little weary.

If you’ve got nothing better to do and cash to splurge, go for it. Otherwise maybe head back to Hobart and spend it on dinner.

HOT TIP – The site closes at 5pm and reopens at 6pm for the ghost tour so you need to actually leave the complex.
There is no transport back to Hobart at night so having a rental car is about the only option if you stay on for the ghost tour!

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Where is it? – About one and half hours drive south-east of Hobart.

When is it? – Open Daily from 9am to 5pm except Christmas Day

How long do I need? – We recommend you spend the whole day exploring Port Arthur (ticket is valid for 2 days!)

How much is it? – In 2026, you are looking at around $A55 for adult entry and A$27.50 for children under 18.

TIP – The Port Arthur site is cashless so make sure you have a valid card to use for payments.
TIP – When driving take special care for wildlife entering the road, especially at night.
TIP – For breakfast before your visit, there is a cute Lavender Farm just before Port Arthur called Port Arthur Lavender. They have lots of lavender type souvenirs and a great cafe serving Lavender scones!
TIP – For the ghost tour you need a car to return to Hobart as there are no Taxis or Ubers here.

We would love to hear from if you have been here or have a question about visiting! – We plan trips so email us at info@triprovider.com and connect & go today!