Tasmania’s unique wilderness and five of Tasmania’s historic convict sites are listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as worthy of World Heritage Listing. We have put together a quick guide for you:
Tasmanian Wilderness
Western Tasmanian Wilderness National Parks were added to the World Heritage Committee in 1982. It now covers around 1.4 million hectares, almost a fifth of the state.
Convict Sites
1. Brickendon & Woolmers Estate (1820’s – 1850’s)
Brickendon is one of Tasmania’s oldest farming properties located in Northern Tasmania. It was settled by William Archer in 1824. Brickendon along with Woolmers Estate which is neighbouring the farming properties were listed jointly as World Heritage Site in 2010.
2. Darlington Probation Station (1825 – 1832 & 1842 – 1850)
Maria Island National Park is the home of Darlington Probation Station. It’s housing 14 ruins in a layout that reflects the key features of the probation system in Van Diemen’s Land.
3. Cascade Female Factory (1828 – 1856)
The Female Factory is located in South Hobart. The location was carefully selected to separate and hide it from the main colony. An estimate of 25,000 females convicts were transported to Australia, which was only 15 to 17 percent of the convict population.
4. Coal Mines Historic Site (1833 – 1848)
It was popular to put convicts to work in coal mines. The north-western corner of the Tasman Peninsula occupies around 214 hectares 25 buildings and remains of coal mining activity. The site is unique and played an important role in the economic development of the colony.
5. Port Arthurs Historic Site (1830 – 1877)
Chosen in 1830 as a site for a penal colony to house Britain’s worst offenders, it was considered an excellent location because the narrow ocean connecting the Tasman to the mainland acted as a natural barrier.
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