Port Arthur Historic Site

Your site entry ticket gives you two consecutive days to explore and enjoy Port Arthur Historic Site’s many sites, tours and activities including:

• Entry to the Port Arthur Gallery, which includes interactive exhibits and displays that tell the story of the Port Arthur Historic Site and its people.
• Complimentary site talks at key locations throughout the day
• A self- guided Port Arthur Audio Experience
• A 20-minute Harbour Cruise.
• Access to more than 30 historic buildings, ruins, restored houses, heritage gardens and walking trails. A courtesy shuttle service is also available for people with restricted mobility (available between 10:30am and 3:30pm each day, with an extended service offered during summer).

A courtesy shuttle service is available for people with restricted mobility (available between 10:30am and 3:30pm each day, with an extended service offered during summer).

Additional guided tours are available for anyone seeking a more in-depth look around the convict ruins and their stories including:

Isle of the Dead Cemetery Tour
The Isle of the Dead holds the stories of many of the people of Port Arthur – in life and death.
Port Arthur’s tiny cemetery island is the final resting place for more than 1000 convicts, military and civil officers, women and children, who were buried here between 1833 and 1877. The Isle of the Dead has two separate burial sections – convicts were laid to rest in mostly unmarked graves at the island’s southern end, while the higher northern end was reserved for free and military burials, marked by headstones. The anonymity of the convicts was somewhat redressed after 1850, when some convict graves were given headstones.
On this tour, you’ll journey to the island aboard the MV Marana and take a guided walking tour of the island. You’ll hear the personal stories of convicts who were transported here from across the world, the soldiers who gave their lives to guard the prison, the officers, and their families who followed them to the ends of the earth.

Port Arthur Ghost Tour
Darkness falls, and Port Arthur’s hidden side emerges. This is a different place after sunset, full of mystery and intrigue.
As the sun sets, come out to the dark grounds of the Port Arthur Historic Site for your 90-minute, lantern-lit Ghost Tour. Follow your expert guide through some of Port Arthur’s more infamous buildings and ruins and hear vivid stories of unexplained events that have baffled and alarmed convicts, free settlers, soldiers and visitors.
More than 1000 people died at Port Arthur during its 47-year history as a penal settlement, and some people say that the souls of the departed have never left. Documented ghost stories have been associated with Port Arthur since 1870, and since that time, many people have added to Port Arthur’s haunted reputation with their own accounts of paranormal activity.
As the lantern light guides you through the darkness, and strange stories unfold, you’ll discover Port Arthur’s secrets and decide for yourself if the tales are true.

The Escape from Port Arthur Tour, Port Arthur Premium Tour and the Port Arthur Essentials Tour all offer guided walking tours for those wanting further insight into the sites captivating history and characters who lived, worked and served their time there. For those wanting a more in depth and personal experience, the Wheel of Fate offers a VIP experience with exclusive access to Port Arthur’s unique buildings. Canapés and a two-course lunch with drinks is also included.