Port Arthur, Tasmania
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
View of Port Arthur, Tasmania, one of the 11 penal sites constituting the Australian Convict Sites | |
Interactive map of Port Arthur, Tasmania | |
| Part of | Australian Convict Sites |
| Criteria | Cultural: iv, vi |
| Reference | 1306 |
| Inscription | 2011 (35th Session) |
| Area | 146 ha |
| Buffer zone | 1,216.51 ha |
| Website | portarthur |
Port Arthur | |
|---|---|
Port Arthur | |
| Coordinates: 43°09′0″S 147°51′0″E / 43.15000°S 147.85000°E | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Tasmania |
| LGA | |
| Location |
|
| Established | 1830 |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Population | |
| • Total | 251 (2016 census) |
| Postcode | 7182 |
| Mean max temp | 14.8 °C (58.6 °F) |
| Mean min temp | 8.2 °C (46.8 °F) |
| Annual rainfall | 1,148.8 mm (45.23 in) |
Port Arthur is a town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tasmania, Australia. It is located approximately 97 kilometres (60 mi) southeast of the state capital, Hobart.
The site forms part of the Australian Convict Sites, a World Heritage property consisting of 11 remnant penal sites originally built within the British Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries on fertile Australian coastal strips. Collectively, these sites, including Port Arthur, are described by UNESCO as "... the best surviving examples of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts."
In 1996, the town was the scene of the Port Arthur massacre, the deadliest instance of mass murder in post-colonial Australian history.