Tasman Peninsula

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Lore & Background

The original name for the area is Turrakana. The Aboriginal inhabitants preceding European arrival were the Pydairrerme people, whose territory was what is now known as the Tasman and Forestier peninsulas. They were part of the larger Paredarerme language group. The area was named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman after colonisation but was dual named as of March 2021. The first European settlement was Port Arthur in the early 1830s. It was selected as a penal settlement because it was geographically isolated from the rest of the colony but more easily reachable by sea than Macquarie Harbour. Its inaccessibility was enhanced by having Eaglehawk Neck lined with guards and guard dogs, to prevent the escape of any convicts. A small number did escape, including the bushranger Martin Cash. The Coal Mines Historic Site, located near the north tip west of the peninsula, was originally the site of a convict-operated coal mine. In the era between the convict settlement and the rise of the modern tourist industry, people in the area were mostly engaged in the timber industry and fishing. The region remained highly isolated until the introduction of regular river steamer services between it and Hobart in the 1880s.

Reader's Guide

The Tasman Peninsula is now a key area in the battle to save the Tasmanian devil from extinction from a new type of contagious cancer called devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). The isolation from the Tasmanian mainland, where DFTD is running unchecked and has killed more than half of all devils, is ideal for maintaining a healthy wild Tasmanian devil population in a project that involves the local Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park at Taranna and government and university scientists. The penal settlement of Port Arthur is now a tourist attraction, and tourism is a major industry. Bushwalking is also popular, particularly picturesque spots being Cape Raoul and Cape Pillar at the extreme south-west and south-east ends of the peninsula. The rugged coastline has been the scene of a number of shipwrecks, including the Tasman in 1883 and the Nord in 1915 after hitting the Hippolyte Rocks. The peninsula forms part of the South-east Tasmania Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance in the conservation of woodland birds, especially the endangered swift parrot and forty-spotted pardalote. The rare Cape Pillar sheoak is a shrub or small tree found only in the Tasman National Park where it is restricted to the Cape Pillar area of the Tasman Peninsula and to Tasman Island.

Did You Know?

• The isthmus connecting the Tasman Peninsula to the Forestier Peninsula, Eaglehawk Neck, is less than 30 metres wide at its narrowest point.
• The highest sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere, rising 300 metres above the Tasman Sea, are located at Cape Pillar on the peninsula.
• The Tasman Peninsula was dual named Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula as of March 2021.
• The bushranger Martin Cash was one of the small number of convicts who escaped from Port Arthur.
• The rare Cape Pillar sheoak is a shrub or small tree found only in the Tasman National Park, restricted to the Cape Pillar area and Tasman Island.