Hiking & Sailing in Southern Tasmania EP7: Convict ruins on Maria Island & Coal Mines Historic Site

In this episode we sail to Maria Island, where we visit the convict settlement ruins at Long Point. The ruins are not extensive, but they are lonely and isolated so have a great atmosphere. This part of Maria Island is infrequently visited since it is more than 10 km away from the main convict settlement at Darlington, where the ferry lands.

From Maria Island we take the short cut back to the Tasman Peninsula through Tasmania’s own version of Suez – the Denison Canal. We stop traffic as the bridge over the canal swings open, and we squeeze through with little space on either side.

We sail down the west side of the Forestier Peninsula and anchor at Eaglehawk Neck, another convict site. The Neck is very narrow and joins Forestier Peninsula to Tasman Peninsula. It was the site of a line of vicious, chained dogs designed to prevent escaped convicts from Port Arthur from getting off Tasman Peninsula – the only way to get to the mainland. There are quarters for soldiers that still remain.

Our next destination is one of the cultural highlights of the trip – the Convict Mines Historic Site, where convicts lived and mined coal. The site is second only to Port Arthur, but in many ways the experience is better because there are no crowds or development. Arriving by boat adds a special poignancy.

After a lovely night in Frederick Henry Bay, we sail into Storm Bay, around the Iron Pot, and up the Derwent River back to Hobart.