Maria Island is quite mountainous.
It's located in the Tasman Sea, off the east coast of
Tasmania, Australia.
The 115.5-square-kilometre island is contained
within the Maria Island National Park
This is the jetty
You can get here by ferry.
The island is a time capsule of Australia's convict past.
There are lots of old colonial buildings.
The main town was opened as a penal settlement in 1825.
The penal settlement was closed in 1832 and the prisoners moved to the recently established prison at Port Arthur
This is the Commissariat Store, Darlington.
Darlington is the only town on the island.
The island was named in 1642 by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman after Maria van Diemen (née van Aelst), wife of Anthony van Diemen, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies in Batavia.
The penitentiary.
These lodgings date back to the 1830s. It's where convicts slept. It gives you a chance to live how the prisoners did.
Each
room has bunk beds & a wood-fired stove for
heating and cooking.
There is no power, running water or
lighting.
There are no stores and the island. You must bring your own food, water, camping gear, bikes etc. And of course take your rubbish home with you.
Bishop & Clerk Walk.
At the northern end of Maria Island, you can see the twin peaks of Bishop and Clerk. These peaks resemble a bishop, wearing a mitre, being followed by a clergyman.
You can walk to the top.
This walk takes you from grasslands through woodlands, forest and finally to rocky slopes before you reach the summit. Its not a difficult hike.
This is the view from Bishops peak.
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