Port Arthur, a historically somber UNESCO World Heritage site, sits in over 40 hectares of beautiful, landscaped grounds, close to the Tasman National Park, itself famed for its dramatic beauty.Today, Port Arthur brings the story of Australia’s colonial history to life through stories of the very people who lived here.A major site for punishing transported convicts who had further offended since deportation, many thousands of prisoners passed through the penal colony at one time or another. Throughout its history it has been a place of both torturous punishment and for some of the luckier ones, educational opportunity.Partly restored ruins of the colony and church, built with great skill by convicts in the 1830’s and the aptly named Island of the Dead, an island cemetery for convicts, are today prime attractions. This is a place jam packed with history, vividly brought to life by well informed guides and displays, it’s a moving and engrossing visit. In sharp contrast to the convicts, visitors are free to wander and explore.Turn up after dark, to look for evidence of the spookier side of Port Arthur, as part of the very popular ghost tour - Lit only by lanterns, the tour takes you through some of the most infamous buildings, quite different at nightfall. The guides will fill you in on some of the stranger goings on that have been noted in what is considered the most haunted place in Australia. The daily tourists departed, the long gone seem really quite close!