We drove from Hobart to Sorell for 2 nights to allow easier access for a day trip to Port Arthur. Our day started in rain which cleared by the time we arrived at Port Arthur; the sun even came out and the temperature rose to 20c!
Port Arthur totally exceeded our expectations in terms of scale, historical significance, scenic beauty and poignancy (both in terms of the convicts suffering and the 1996 massacre).
If you are ever in Tasmania, Port Arthur is a must. Your ticket includes a 45 minute introductory tour and a 30 minute catamaran tour. Both were fabulous and gave a good insight to allow further exploration later in the day. We thought that the introductory tour starting with recognition of both the aboriginal past custodians and the 1996 massacre was particularly well done.
After the very informative included tours we walked around the grounds visiting most of the remaining buildings. Unfortunately when the settlement closed in 1877 many buildings were dismantled and some destroyed in a bush fire earlier. However, the remaining buildings provide enough of an insight into understanding the harsh reality of the site. The visit is definitely a highlight of our trip so far.
On our way back to Sorell we stopped at Pirates Bay and although we did not see any pirates (Paul’s joke) the bay was amazing. It had white sandy beach, high cliffs, a blow hole one end and a tessellated pavement the other.
All in all a fabulous day. Tomorrow we start heading north to Bicheno for 3 nights by the sea.
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