Port Arthuris a small town and formerconvictsettlement on theTasman Peninsula, inTasmania,Australia. It is one of Australia's most significant heritage areas and anopen-air museum.The site forms part of theAustralian Convict Sites, aWorld Heritage propertyconsisting of eleven remnant penal sites originally built within theBritish Empireduring the 18th and 19th centuries on fertile Australian coastal strips. Collectively, these sites, including Port Arthur, now represent, "the best surviving examples of large-scaleconvicttransportationand the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts."
Port Arthur is officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction. It is located approximately 60 kilometres (37mi) south east of the state capital,Hobart. In 1996 it was the scene of theworst mass murder eventin post-colonial Australian history.