Port Arthur Deep History Tour｜Guided by a Convict Descendant

A full day Port Arthur and Tasman Peninsula tour led by a descendant of 17 convicts. Deep stories, real context, dramatic coastlines, Richmond, Port Arthur entry included.
This full-day Port Arthur and Tasman Peninsula tour combines iconic locations with in-depth storytelling, guided by a direct descendant of Tasmanian convicts.

With 17 direct convict ancestors, your guide offers a personal and grounded perspective on transportation, punishment, and daily life in Van Diemen’s Land. This is not a shuttle-style tour. The focus is on understanding what these places meant to the people who lived and suffered here.

The day includes visits to Richmond, one of Tasmania’s earliest convict settlements, before continuing to the Tasman Peninsula, where dramatic coastal landscapes played a deliberate role in controlling and isolating convicts.

Stops include Pirates Bay, the Tessellated Pavement, Devil’s Kitchen, Tasman Arch, the Blowhole, and other key natural features that helped make escape nearly impossible. These locations are not just scenic highlights, they are part of the story.

At Port Arthur Historic Site, you’ll explore the ruins with deeper context, focusing on daily routines, punishment systems, and the emotional toll of convict life. Entry to Port Arthur is included.

There is also an optional visit to a local lavender farm, offering a contrasting glimpse of modern Tasmania against its harsh past.

This tour is ideal for travellers seeking a more meaningful, story-driven experience of Tasmania’s convict history, set within the raw landscapes that defined it.

Itinerary

1. Richmond Village 30 minutes
Walk through one of Tasmania’s earliest convict settlements where assignment and daily routines shaped lives. Hear how convicts contributed to this town’s stone bridges and buildings, and how transportation was more than geography — it was identity.

2. Pirates Bay Lookout 10 minutes
Stand above this powerful stretch of ocean — a place many convicts never saw beyond. The cliffs and sea acted like guards, turning nature into punishment.

3. Tessellated Pavements 15 minutes
Explore this remarkable coastal rock formation while discussing how the land itself was part of the isolation system — a punishing terrain out of which escape was nearly impossible.

4. Port Arthur Historic Site 4 hours
Our longest stop. With entry included, delve past the surface of ruins into the day-to-day experience of convicts. Hear stories shaped by family history and lived hardship — not just plaques and photo ops.

5. Devil’s Kitchen, Tasman Arch & Blow Hole 30 minutes
Witness nature’s raw power and learn how rugged coastline features served as psychological and physical boundaries. These dramatic formations help explain why Port Arthur was chosen as a place no one should — or could — flee from easily.

To guarantee availability book as soon as possible. Early booking is worth consideration especially if you planning the trip during high season like public holidays or weekends.

This excursion you can cancel with no cost up to 24 hours before the start of the trip. If you cancel it after 24 hours or not show up on the excursion you will still be charged the full price of the activity. Being late on pick-up or departure will be considered as not showing up.