Coal Mines Historic Site

The amazing Port Arthur Historic Site gets all the attention – and rightly so. But for a less visited, low-key convict encounter, detour to the Coal Mines Historic Site (coalmines.org.au; free), 28km north of Port Arthur. The state's first operational mine, it began excavation in 1833 and was worked by convicts in abominable conditions before closing in 1848 on "moral and financial grounds." Walking tracks loop through the ruins. The crumbled sandstone barracks overlooking the water are particularly evocative; the solitary confinement cells are tortuously small and dark. To get here, from the town of Premaydena, take the signposted turn-off (the C341) 13km northwest to Saltwater River.