SOUTH EAST
The Peninsula is almost an island apart - when you turn right at the historic town of Sorell, you're heading south for scenery, wildlife, heritage and adventure. Along the Peninsula, you can discover convict era buildings and even whole towns built with convict sweat and toil.
You can sample the region's superb cool-climate wines, and savour some of the local specialties - octopus, oysters, quail and venison. You may also encounter some of the local inhabitants - playful dolphins; our unique Tasmanian devil; or a majestic sea eagle, soaring from cliffs in the Tasman National Park.
You can walk gleaming beaches and stand on the rim of tall sea cliffs, carved into giant columns over millions of years by crashing waves and endless winds. South again, and follow the road to the past. Overlooking the waters of a quiet bay is Australia's most significant historic site at Port Arthur, every piece of hand-hewn stone and every thumb-marked brick has a story that echoes days long gone
Here, you can step back to the early 1800s and explore the dramatic buildings, beneath graceful old English trees, or cruise the dark waters to the Isle of the Dead. Every moment at Port Arthur is a piece of living history: your feet tread the same paths the convicts walked, and in the silence, you might catch an echo of clinking chains and the tap of hammer on stone.
Returning northwards, turn off through the magnificent Wielangta Forest Drive, where rare parrots flash through the blue gums. Beyond the trees are the gentle landscapes of the east coast.
The spectacular coastline of this region stirs the imagination and inspires the spirit, with Tasman National Park including the cliffs at Waterfall Bay and the Tasman Blowhole. It is a region where breathtaking natural beauty meets a past that had its share of unspeakable deprivation as part of convict history.
Port Arthur
Historic Site is the most significant of seven locations on the Tasman Peninsula Convict Trail and was an
incredible social experiment in its day. The peninsula is an appealing destination for swimming, surfing,
fishing, kayaking, diving, bushwalking, camping and touring.
