Isle of the Dead

The Isle of the Dead is a small island cemetery in Carnarvon Bay off Port Arthur in southeastern Tasmania. Part of the Port Arthur Historic Site and the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage property, it served as the burial ground for the Port Arthur penal settlement from 1833 to 1877. The island contains graves of convicts, military personnel, and free settlers, marked by headstones and unmarked graves, and is accessible only by guided harbour cruise tour.

Visitors reach the island only by guided harbour cruise departing from the Port Arthur Historic Site jetty. On the island, a guided walking tour leads along paths through marked headstones, unmarked graves, and remnant burial ground landscape with views across Carnarvon Bay to Point Puer and the Tasman Peninsula. The site is an open-air historic cemetery with interpretive commentary, no buildings or shops on the island itself, and all visits are supervised and time-limited.

The Isle of the Dead was the burial ground for the Port Arthur penal settlement between 1833 and 1877. During this period Port Arthur was a major convict settlement and military outpost. The island contains about 1,100 graves, with separate areas for convicts in unmarked graves and for military, officials and free settlers with marked headstones. It is part of the Port Arthur Historic Site, inscribed as part of the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage property in 2010.

The island is a significant example of convict-era burial practices and colonial cemetery organization, reflecting social distinctions of the period. As part of the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage property, it is recognized for its importance in illustrating the system of convict transportation and colonial settlement in Australia and is a place of remembrance and interpretation.