Our onsite programs are offered in two streams. Education Programs provide immersive, curriculum-aligned experiences for primary and secondary students that support learning through the Australian Curriculum. Youth Programs provide groups with the opportunity to enjoy some of our most popular site tours and experiences.

Teachers can select and combine programs for either stream to meet the needs of their students.

Price: $11.50 per student*

Download a site map and explore the buildings and stories of Port Arthur with your students with support from our audio experience.

Site entry includes our harbour cruise. The harbour cruise departs from the Port Arthur Jetty and is approximately 25 minutes. Groups will be allocated a harbour cruise time when making a booking.

Groups choosing to self-guide around the site can select ‘site entry only’ when submitting their booking request.

*Price per student for site entry only applies to booked education groups of 10 or more students. Teachers and adult supervisors are provided with complimentary site entry up to 1:10 students. Additional adults may incur an extra charge.

We offer immersive, curriculum-aligned programs for primary and secondary students that support learning through the Australian Curriculum.

The following programs are only available on weekdays during Tasmania’s school terms. Other availability limitations may apply.

All program prices are charged in addition to site entry. Prices are current for 2025.

CONVICT LIFE AT PORT ARTHUR

Recommended level: Years 4 – 12
Duration: 45 minutes
Price: $3.50 per student
Available: Mon to Fri during Tasmanian school terms

Learn about convict life and the Port Arthur penal settlement on this guided introductory tour of the site. Students will visit key locations with one of our experienced tour guides and consider whether Port Arthur was a place of punishment or reform. Suitable for primary and secondary students.

PROFITABLE PUNISHMENT: BRICKMAKING

Recommended level: Years 4 – 6
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $6.50 per student
Available: Tues to Thurs during Tasmanian school terms

In this hands-on workshop, students learn about brickmaking, one of the many trades convicts were employed to do at Port Arthur. They explore the process of making bricks by hand and investigate historical examples of convict-made bricks from the site. Suitable for primary students.

Maximum 20 students per session.

HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY AT PORT ARTHUR

Recommended level: Years 7 – 12
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $6.50 per student
Available: Tues to Thurs during Tasmanian school terms

In this hands-on workshop, students investigate the finds from the excavation of Port Arthur’s convict workshops area. They learn how to analyse artefacts and how archaeologists use this information, alongside written records, to answer questions about the past. Suitable for secondary students.

Maximum 20 students per session.

Book your group on one of our popular site tours and experiences.

All prices are charged in addition to site entry and availability restrictions may apply. Prices are current for 2025.

ISLE OF THE DEAD CEMETERY TOUR

Recommended level: Years 5 – 12 (ages 12 and up)
Duration: 60 minutes (including harbour cruise to and from the island)
Price: $10.00 per person
Available: Mon-Sun

The Isle of the Dead was used as a cemetery for convicts, soldiers, civilians and children from 1833 to 1877. Students explore the island with one of our experienced guides and hear unique stories of the people who lived, worked, and died at Port Arthur.

Please note that capacity restrictions apply to tours of the Isle of the Dead.

ESCAPE FROM PORT ARTHUR TOUR

Recommended level: Years 5 – 12 (ages 12 and up)
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $10.00 per person
Available: Mon-Fri

Hear the stories of convicts who dared to escape Port Arthur, braving the elements with no food, water, or knowledge of the land, risking it all for a chance at freedom. Students explore the site with one of experienced guides and uncover acts of courage and determination.

GHOST TOUR

Recommended level: Years 9 – 12 (ages 14 and up)
Duration: 90 minutes
Price: $16.50 per person*
Available: Wed-Sun

Ghost stories have been associated with Port Arthur since 1870 and over time many people have added to Port Arthur’s haunted reputation with their own accounts of paranormal activity. Follow your guide on a lantern-lit tour through some of Port Arthur’s more infamous buildings and ruins, and hear vivid stories of strange and unexplained events.

*1:10 teachers/supervising adults to students are allowed to accompany the group FOC for supervision purposes. Additional teachers/adults may incur an extra charge.

Teacher discretion advised.

This tour contains strong themes and supernatural content. The stories include traumatic and violent deaths which some students may find disturbing or upsetting. We strongly recommend teachers use their discretion in determining whether this tour is suitable for their group.

Port Arthur is a large site with many historic building and ruins to explore. We recommend that you allocate at least 2 hours in your itinerary to explore the site and allow students the opportunity to see everything Port Arthur has to offer.

Download copies of our site map to help plan your visit and visit our Plan your excursion page for other useful information.

Group bookings are subject to date/time availability. Please book at least six weeks in advance using our online form.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss how to get the most out of your visit to Port Arthur, please contact our Education team.