When Lt Governor George Arthur arrived in Van Diemens Land (Tasmania) in 1824 there were almost 6,000 convicts in the land, comprising almost half the total population. The only convict station operational at the time was Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour on the west coast, catering for the very worst offenders. Convicts were divided into seven classes:

• Class 1 convicts were granted "tickets of leave", a probation system which allowed the convicts to work for wages and own property. Tickets were granted at the Governor's discretion and could be withdrawn for bad behaviour.
• Class 2 convicts were assigned as servants to particular settlers and in return were clothed and fed. About half the total convicts were in this class and cost to the government was minimal.
• Class 3 convicts worked on government projects.
• Class 4 convicts worked on road gangs.
• Class 5 convicts were sentenced to hard labour in chains.
• Class 6 convicts were also sentenced to hard labour for crimes committed in the colony and kept under close scrutiny. Maria Island Penal Station was established in 1825 for these convicts.
• Class 7 convicts were similar to Class 6 ones but had to serve their sentence in chains. The Sarah Island penal settlement accommodated these criminals.

It has been difficult to ascertain the number of convicts who went to Port Arthur during its 47 year existence. Despite the records showing only 1,220 inmates the figure of 12,700 does not seem unreasonable as many convicts re-offended and found themselves back on the Tasman peninsula.

It soon became clear that the Sarah Island station was both too far from Hobart and was too inaccessible to remain as a penal colony. An alternative location was sought, and following a suggestion by Assistant Surveyor Scott, Stewarts Harbour on the Tasman Peninsula was decided upon.

The site was relatively close to Hobart, security problems were minimal as the peninsula could be guarded by a few men at Eaglehawk Neck and Easy Bay Neck near Dunalley, and an abundance of timber in the area meant excellent timber felling and sawing activities could be employed to "work" the convicts. The Government compensated those free settlers who had land on the Peninsula.

Port Arthur was named in 1828 following the visit of surveyors Welsh and Roberts to the area. Two years later on September 22, an advance group of 68 convicts and military personnel landed at Port Arthur and established a camp there.

Over the next year a number of structures were established: wooden huts to accommodate the convicts and soldiers, cottages for the officers, and a store to hold six months rations for 100 men were all built. Other activities such as timber getting and brick making were also initiated. Shingles, cart spokes and wheel barrows were also made.

By 1833, following the closure of the Maria Island and Sarah Island settlements, the number of prisoners rose to 675. That year construction of a wooden convict barracks was commenced and the elaborate semaphore system linking Port Arthur to Hobart was established.

In 1834 Point Puer was established to separate the juvenile males from their older convict colleagues. That same year the Coal Mines at Plunkett Point were established and ship building commenced at Port Arthur.

Meanwhile, building activity continued apace. In 1835 the stone Guard Tower was built and by the following year the settlement began to take on the appearance of a town. Although most of the buildings were wooden, stone and brick became the main building materials.

That year saw a change in the law, whereby convicts from the mother country could be sentenced straight to Port Arthur - previously the inmates were sent here having committed a crime in the colony. Governor Arthur laid the foundation stone of the church in this same year, and the first service was conducted there a year later. The spire was later added in 1841 and a clock installed in 1854.

Farming and cultivation activities were expanding, but fairly slowly. By 1840 only 25 hectares of land were under cultivation, but this was enough to supply the settlement's vegetables. Cattle and pigs were later additions to the Farm. Ship building remained the most important activity at Port Arthur.

During the 1840s, around 3,500 prisoners a year were arriving in Van Diemens Land, and six years later there were about 30,000 convicts in the State. 1,200 of these were at Port Arthur, 600 at Plunkett Point coal mines, 283 at Impression Bay (Premaydena) and 350 at Cascade (Koonya).

Other shortlived stations were established at Flinders Bay, Slopen Island and Wedge Bay. Additionally, some 730 boys were incarcerated at Point Puer, making a total of 3,000 convicts on the Tasman Peninsula. Also at this time voluntary classes were held for the senior convicts - classes which had been compulsory for the Point Puer boys since the 1830s. These classes seemed quite successful.

In 1842 construction commenced on a granary, a corn mill, and a new hospital. Inmate activities at the time ranged from timber felling and splitting, quarrying and brick making to carpentry, blacksmithing, tailoring, shoemaking and washing.

Military barracks were completed in 1841 and 1847, a Church of England Chaplain Residence and magazine tower in 1842, a Roman Catholic Chaplain Residence in 1843, a Commissariat Officer's house in 1845, two years later the Medical Officer's residence was completed and in 1848 the Assistant Surgeon's residence was completed and work had begun on the Model Prison.

The closure of the Plunkett Point coal mines and Point Puer in the late 1840s, the cessation of shipbuilding in 1849, and the proposal to transfer 546 prisoners from Norfolk Island to the Tasman Peninsula, resulted in the extension of the Model Prison which had been completed in 1852, and the conversion of the granary and corn mill into a penitentiary in 1853.

Work also commenced on Government Cottage, used to accommodate important guests to the station. 1853 also saw the end of transportation of convicts to Van Diemens Land. This did not have an immediate effect on the settlement and building projects continued.

Government Cottage was complete in 1854, and the Penitentiary was finally finished in 1857 and had a capacity of 481 convicts. During this time, there was an increase in the number of mentally unsound and invalid convicts in Port Arthur, following the closure of Impression Bay in 1857. This lead to the construction a special building for old and infirm convicts in 1865, and by 1867 an Asylum had also been completed.

The convict population began to dwindle during the 1870s, following a very quiet period the previous decade. In 1871 the British Government handed control of the settlement to the Tasmanian Government.

Closure seemed inevitable at this point, due to the expense and stigma of the settlement. In 1875 the church spire blew down and was not repaired, and by 1877 the settlement was abandoned and remaining convicts transferred to Hobart to complete their sentences.

Once abandoned, the elements and vandals took their toll on the buildings which quickly became derelict ruins. Most of the portable equipment, and some of the buildings, were sold in attempt to forget the past, and Carnarvon became the new name for the settlement. Three fires in 1884, 1885 and 1897 destroyed most of the settlement, and several structures were demolished or altered.

In 1916 the State Government bought certain areas of the settlement and placed them under the control of the Scenery Preservation Board, which managed to preserve some of the remaining buildings. The National Parks and Wildlife Service took over the site in 1971, and initiated an ongoing restoration program.

For more information on Port Arthur, please explore the following links, or refer to the attractions section of Port Arthur :

Buildings and Sites of Port Arthur
Life of The Convicts
Opening Hours

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