Port Arthur and Peninsula

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We left the camp and A&M at Port Arthur and took the peninsula loop road to White Beach near Nubeena to take a look then headed for the Coal Mines at Norfolk Bay . This was a location that prisoners were sent from Port Arthur if they were very bad or recidivist offenders. They were put to hard labour down deep shafts digging coal which was brought to the surface manually. The site consisted of many old fallen down buildings with piles of bricks around them marking the place where walls once stood. It covered an extensive area in an extremely beautiful landscape. The location is absolutely stunning looking out to a tranquil harbour and calm, clear water. It belies what was happening on land. Because of it’s location there were a number of semaphore stations around the area to communicate across the harbour. There is little left of the actual buildings but there was enough to be seen to see that prisoners were worked hard and if they disobeyed there was solitary confinement in darkness as a result.

We continued on to the end of the peninsula to Lime Bay for our picnic lunch. This is a lovely tranquil spot set amongst the trees in a Reserve. We sat out on the rock platform over the water eating out sandwiches. Very nice.

We then drove to Tanarra where it joined with the main highway to visit the Tasmanian Devil Refuge where we had hoped to see the Devils and other native animals. However, at $30A each ($40NZ) we decided it was far too expensive to see some furry little animals.

We then drove back to Eaglehawk Neck and Doo Town where we left the car and did the walk to Waterfall Bay. This is about a 40min walk but took much longer as all along the walk are viewing platforms looking out over the coast and the beach far below. It is spectacular. We saw the Tasman Arch, soaring cliffs, crashing waves, flat rocky platforms, waving kelp seaweed and chasms starting to be formed. The views along the coast towards Cape Hauy and the The Totem were lovely with an azure sea and white waves crashing into the cliffs. Walking back again we got the opportunity to look all over again.

We left the Tasman National Park and headed back to Hobart. The day had been an excellent one and it even warmed up enough to get back into shorts.

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Photos

The remains of the old coal mine site
Only rubble mostly remains on the old coal mine site spread over a large area. This was the accomodation area for prisoners and staff, the mining was at the top of the hill with rail track still visible to the jetty for supplies and loading the coal.

Looking down into Waterfall Bay
The waterfall was insignificant but the view down on the rugged coastline and thundering waves was worth the walk along the cliff tops of the Tasman National Park