The Coal Mines formed part of the system of convict discipline and punishment on the Tasman Peninsula. During its busiest years almost 600 prisoners with their jailers and their families lived and worked at the Mines. While the underground workings are no longer accessible, you may visit the picturesque ruins of houses, barracks, offices and punishment cells. As you explore this evocative unspoiled landscape, you may catch a faint echo of those long departed men toiling in the dark, and experience something of the isolation and hardship that they endured. The Coal Mines Historic Site is open daily. No bookings are required and entry is free.
The Coal Mines opened three years after Port Arthur. By the late 1830s they produced most of the coal used in Van Diemen’s Land. It was used extensively in government offices, but householders did not like it because it emitted showers of sparks when it was first lighted, setting fire to carpets and ladies’ gowns. The Coal Mines also served as a punishment station for men who had committed a serious offence in the colony, or who continually committed relatively minor offences. By 1843 there were 579 prisoners here, with 27 soldier guards, 35 civilian supervisors and administrators, 14 of their wives and 90 children. Only convicts who were skilled miners worked at the coal face. They dug an average of 3 tons per day; each miner had three convict labourers to take away the coal. Most convicts here, however, were employed in quarrying, lime or charcoal burning, building, gardening, splitting timber, or labouring above and below ground. Skilled convicts – carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemakers, tailors and tanners – worked at their trades. The Coal Mines ran at a loss, and officials were very anxious about problems with discipline there, so the Mines were leased to private operators in 1848. With lower costs, the new owners managed to make a small profit until 1877. The Mines were finally abandoned in 1901. Port Arthur was regarded as a harsh place, and the Coal Mines was said to be worse.
It is a great place to explore and one of our favourite places to take visitors. Take a picnic and make a day of it!
In order to log this cache you will need to post a photo of yourself, a sign of your Geo-name, or your GPS framed through one of the 'windows' of the ruins.
Enjoy your visit!
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.