Coal Mines Historic Site

Just 20 minutes away from the popular Port Arthur site is the coal mines site where convicts worked to extract coal from various mines. Still intact are the solitary cells built with giant sandstone blocks that you can walk into and get a feeling how small and eerrie they were.

Scenic site full of rich history and beautiful ruins, plenty of spots to stop and park the car, with easy access to all walks from the carparks

This is a self guided site. It is a good idea to take a photo of the site map before your walk. I'm glad we did - it guided us through all the individual areas.
Located in a stunning area, it is hard to believe its' horrible history. But history it has, and I was honoured to be able to view it for myself. The site is free to enter. There are wheelchair accessible toilets in the main carpark. You will need to take your own food and water/ drinks as there aren't any for sale onsite. It is the perfect place for a picnic.
Coal Mines Historic site is located on the Tasman Peninsula and the roads are all sealed coming in from Dunalley.

Good place for understand the history of the coal mines. You may have a 30mins walk to enjoy this place. But the road was dusty when we come.

Took 2-3hrs to walk around the historic sites surrounding the coal mine. Exceeded our expectations. Definitely sucked to be a convict here. Go inside the isolation cells on your visit.

Some lovely ruins and old buildings to explore. Note that some of the walk times can be a bit misleading though. Some walks definitely don't take as long as they may suggest.

Great place historical old ruins fair walks to do. On beach. Information signs as you walk around

Absolutely stunning. I love the old stone buildings. Great piece of history and the information provided throughout the walk was very helpful.

We stopped on the way to Port Arthur. Whilst it's interesting there is more at Port Arthur. There isn't really enough information available for an in-depth visit and the site is very spread out.
If you're spending 2 days in the area, certainly worth a visit.

I visited this place back in the early 1970's and most of this was overgrown and forgotten. I discovered after looking at an old map and many of the locals didn't know that it was there.

A real insure into the hardships and how horrible it was too be a convict but set in such a beautiful location

Did you know that it's a World Heritage site?
Did you know that this is part of a multi site, multi state heritage trail?

This is a peaceful and un assuming site, yet the tangible links to the history of Tasmania's convict past can be seen and experienced.

The trip along the convict trail, through Sorrel, Eagle Hawk Neck and Salt river is littered with historical buildings and sites.

Be sure to look for the Dog Line memorials in Eagle Hawk Neck, chilling.

A beautiful walk and allot of photogenic views and sites. And lots of rabbits and bird life if you are an animal lover. Be sure to bring food and drinks as its easier than back treckong to a food stop.

Stunning scenery all the way
Intersting to see our world heritage sites
Amazing how the pioneers survived and made their way through this country with its thick forests

Tracks are quite easy which is good for people with mobility issues. However, one track is more steep than the rest not good for people with mobility issues.

Saw the pink moon rising from here, was a stunning surprise.loved exploring all the ruins.there's lots of wild Rabbits so be mindful of your step.glad we didn't walk from signal station to the mine shaft as mine shaft seemed just a hole in the ground, however it was getting dark by that time.

We came straight from Port Arthur historic site to here and couldn't get enough. The only disappointment was the main shaft was filled in/ collapsed so it wasn't as exciting as i had hoped. The air shaft was a bigger hole than i had expected so was is worth going to see.

Awsome historical place where you can take in and learn about the history and what happened in the surrounding area and the mine site itself. There are various tracks you can walk and learn about what the mine was used and how it was run.

Interesting site that is worth the visit. Like Port Arthur, this site is a World heritage listed site and offers an insight in to early convict settlement in Australia.

Great spot, quiet, remote, reminded me of Victoria Settlement on Cobourg Peninsula, (northeast of Darwin) also from 1830s