Port Arthur and the surrounding areas and waterways were closed to the public during its time as a penal colony.
Visits were expensive and could be made with government approval.

David Burn, a Scottish settler and author, was granted permission to visit by the Colonial Secretary.
He arrived by government vessel and was taken on a tour conducted by the commandant of the colony, Charles O'Hara Booth in January 1842.
His account of his visit titled An Excursion to Port Arthur in 1842 was published in 1853 and describes the isle “picturesquely sorrowful… soothing in its melancholy”.
Burn recounts the stories of a number of people buried on the isle including the first buried convict, Dennis Collins and his meeting in the hospital with author and convict, Henry Savery who was later buried on Isle of the Dead.

Marcus Clarke, journalist and author, visited Port Arthur colony in 1870.
Approaching by boat he “beheld barring… passage to the prison the low grey hummocks of the Isle of the Dead”.
His book titled For the Term of His Natural Life was published in 1872 and reflects his research on convictism from this trip and includes the Isle of the Dead as one of its locations.
This book was made into a number of films and Port Arthur was used as a filming location in 1908 and 1926.

Anthony Trollope, an English author, visited the Isle of the Dead in 1872.
His book titled Australia and New Zealand published in 1873, describes the isle and his meeting with convict gravedigger John Barren.

Mark Jeffrey, an English convict, was an Isle of the Dead gravedigger.
Following release from prison on a ticket of leave and due to ill health and poverty he was transferred to the Invalid Depot in Launceston, Tasmania.
From here, Jeffrey, being illiterate, narrated his life story including his time at Port Arthur colony, which was published in a book in 1893 and 1900, titled A Burglar's Life; or the Stirring Adventures of the Great English Burglar, Mark Jeffrey: A thrilling history of the dark days of convictism in Australia.
Port Arthur and the surrounding areas and waterways were closed to the public during its time as a penal colony. Visits were expensive and could be made with government approval.
David Burn, a Scottish settler and author, was granted permission to visit by the Colonial Secretary. He arrived by government vessel and was taken on a tour conducted by the commandant of the colony, Charles O'Hara Booth in January 1842. His account of his visit titled An Excursion to Port Arthur in 1842 was published in 1853 and describes the isle “picturesquely sorrowful… soothing in its melancholy”. Burn recounts the stories of a number of people buried on the isle including the first buried convict, Dennis Collins and his meeting in the hospital with author and convict, Henry Savery who was later buried on Isle of the Dead.
Marcus Clarke, journalist and author, visited Port Arthur colony in 1870. Approaching by boat he “beheld barring… passage to the prison the low grey hummocks of the Isle of the Dead”. His book titled For the Term of His Natural Life was published in 1872 and reflects his research on convictism from this trip and includes the Isle of the Dead as one of its locations. This book was made into a number of films and Port Arthur was used as a filming location in 1908 and 1926.
Anthony Trollope, an English author, visited the Isle of the Dead in 1872. His book titled Australia and New Zealand published in 1873, describes the isle and his meeting with convict gravedigger John Barren.
Mark Jeffrey, an English convict, was an Isle of the Dead gravedigger. Following release from prison on a ticket of leave and due to ill health and poverty he was transferred to the Invalid Depot in Launceston, Tasmania. From here, Jeffrey, being illiterate, narrated his life story including his time at Port Arthur colony, which was published in a book in 1893 and 1900, titled A Burglar's Life; or the Stirring Adventures of the Great English Burglar, Mark Jeffrey: A thrilling history of the dark days of convictism in Australia.
Isle of the Dead (Tasmania)