Description of the attraction
Salt River, also known as Salt Bay, is a former penal colony on the Tasman Peninsula, 106 kilometers from Hobart and 23 kilometers from Port Arthur. There were once two colonies-settlements on the territory of the "Salt River". One was agricultural - its inhabitants grew vegetables and fruits and kept a pigsty. The products of this colony were supplied to Port Arthur and other settlements on the peninsula. And the inhabitants of the second, known for its inhuman conditions of detention, mined coal. There were 60 people in this colony under round-the-clock protection. Escape from here was almost impossible thanks to an ingenious alarm system.
Today, the second colony-settlement is listed as a National Treasure of Australia as the location of historic coal mines. And on the site of the former colonies, only ruins and underground chambers, restored in 1977, remained. These cells are one of the most terrifying examples of prison conditions throughout Australia. Here you can see the ruins of a large prison with warning signs "Danger!" and "Do not enter!" Farther on, an old coal mine is visible, which today is nothing more than just a hole in the ground, surrounded by a fence. A sign next to it reads: “This huge pit is all that remains of the main shaft of Plunkett Point Mine. Coal mining began in 1834. For the prisoners, working in the mine was part of the punishment. At its peak, about 500 tons of coal were shipped to Hobart each year. Coal mining ceased in 1848 and the mine was sealed for public safety purposes.
Today the ruins of the "Salt River" are a kind of symbol of Hobart history, which all tourists who come to Tasmania seek to visit. From the ruins you can go down to Ironstone Bay, on the banks of which there are many picnic areas.
