EXPLORE, HISTORY, WANDER
Eaglehawk Neck is a great starting point for anyone interested in the Tasman Peninsula’s rich convict history.
All sites are free to visit and the landmass once played an important role in creating a natural prison to those incarcerated in nearby Port Arthur.
The British organised a 100m sandbar connecting the Tasman Peninsula to the Forestier Peninsula and beyond into a heavily patrolled outpost with a line of ferocious dogs. This was the infamous ‘Dog Line’ which stretched from Pirates Bay across the isthmus and deep into Eaglehawk Bay.
A life-size bronze replica of these monsters can be found along a winding path near the local Community Hall.
At its busiest, colonial Eaglehawk Neck housed an officer, a sergeant and 25 soldiers.
Most of the station’s sprawling structures like the semaphore station and supplies jetty have long since disappeared. Where once a customs hut, sentries boxes, a storehouse, a guardhouse and extensive barracks stood now only the Officer’s Quarters remain.
The Officer’s Quarters were converted to a private home which saved it from neglect and decay and the building is now partially restored.
Dating back to 1832, the Officers Quarters is the oldest wooden military building left standing in Australia and open daily to visitors from 9am to 5pm.