The Tasman Peninsula is becoming a favoured destination for tourists who love the idea of combining a wilderness vaction with heritage tours, great food and terrific weather.

The Tasman Peninsula curls like a comma on the southeastern coast of Tasmania. It could very well be an island apart but that it is connected to Hobart (97km) by way of the narrow Eaglehawk Neck along the Arthur Highway to Port Arthur. The region is fast dumping the excess baggage it has been carrying around as the worst place in Australia to spend a term of penal servitude with nowhere to escape to except the hostile wilderness around.

The fact is, that Tasmanian Peninsula is not just Tasmania's but also one of Australia's most scenic regions - replete with panoramic vistas of wild natural beauty, spectacular rock formations, bays, coves and inlets, caves and walking tracks.

Its fabulous high cliffs, rugged topography, perfect beaches, heritage buildings and the best bushwalks anywhere have made it the top tourist attraction in Tasmania.

Eaglehawk Neck, gateway to the Tasman Peninsula, has several spectacular natural features as well its own personal history. For those seeking to escape the crowds, a visit to Fortescue Bay is definitely a must do. Dunalley, through which visitors must pass to reach the Tasman Peninsula, is close to the first European landing in Tasmania.

Tasman National Park protects some of Tasmania's most pristine wilderness areas which fortunately is most accessible here. Begin your journey at Eagleneck Hawk with the first glimpses of the magnificent cliffs and coastal formations that line much of the Tasman Peninsula.

Port Arthur was the penal settlement started in 1830 by Governor Arthur for those who committed crimes in the Crown colony of Australia. It was a natural penitentiary, connected to the mainland by a strip about 100 meters wide. To deter escapees, vicious guard dogs were chained in a line across the 100 m and rumours were floated that the water on both sides was shark infested. 12,500 convicts served there till 1877.

It was a living hell though the better you behaved, the better the conditions got.  A boys prison and a church were built to educate juvenile offenders and its historic site is one of its biggest tourist attractions.

It was also an industrialized town with shipbuilding, timber milling, coal mining and nail production thriving.Its more recent claim to infamy is the gunning down of 35 people by a lone gunman in 1996. Despite its criminal history, it’s a delightful place to visit and enjoy the Victorian buildings, natural beauty and criminal history. Close to Port Arthur are the Tasmanian Devil Park and a timber-milling museum. Boarding and lodging for all budgets is aplenty.

Getting there: The Tasman Peninsula is easily accessible by road from southern and eastern Tasmania. Coaches and charter buses offer regular service to the Tasman Peninsula, but public transportation is limited. Port Arthur is just an hour or so away from Hobart making it ideal driving distance for those on a short trip to the capital of Tasmania.

Accommodation: Visitors to this region can either make Hobart their base and make day trips to places like Port Arthur or stay a couple of days at the destination they are headed for. Accommodation options include fine old buildings restored and used as inns and hotels or motels, hostels and smaller B&B places.

For state and visitor information, see Tasmania.
For country information, see Australia.