Port Arthur Historic Site on the Tasman Peninsula is Australias most intact and evocative convict site. The Port Arthur Historic Site has more than 30 buildings, ruins and restored period homes, dating from the prison establishment in 1830 until its closure in 1877. During this time about 12,500 convicts served sentences and for many it was a living hell. Today, the Site sits in 40 hectares (90 acres) of landscaped grounds, and you need to allow plenty of time to fully experience all that the Site has to offer.