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The Ghost Tour is Port Arthur's evening walk: about 90 minutes and 2 km by lantern through some of the site's buildings and ruins, after the day visitors have gone. The site says documented ghost stories have been tied to Port Arthur since 1870, and the guides tell them alongside the history of the people who lived here.
It runs on its own ticket, Wednesday to Sunday, and it starts after every day tour from Hobart has headed home. That makes it the best reason to spend a night on the peninsula. Times and prices are from the official Ghost Tour page.
The quick answer
The Port Arthur Ghost Tour runs Wednesday to Sunday evenings: 6pm and 8pm from April to September, and 7pm, 8:20pm and 9pm from October to March. It lasts about 90 minutes, covers 2 km and costs A$35 for adults and A$18 for children. Day entry is not included. It isn't wheelchair accessible, umbrellas aren't allowed, and the site suggests it for older children; its family page says 14 and up.
What is the Port Arthur Ghost Tour?
A guided, lantern-lit walk of about 2 km and 90 minutes through the historic site after it closes, built on the ghost stories recorded there since 1870.
The site's own description promises some of Port Arthur's more infamous buildings and ruins, and vivid stories of unexplained events. Guides tell them in and around the buildings where they are set. Expect atmosphere and storytelling, not actors jumping out of corners.
It is run by the site itself, so the guides know the history well and the ghost stories sit on top of real lives: convicts, soldiers, officials and their families. Many visitors add their own accounts afterwards, the site says.
What times does the Port Arthur Ghost Tour run?
Wednesday to Sunday. From April to September at 6pm and 8pm; from October to March at 7pm, 8:20pm and 9pm. No tours on Monday or Tuesday.
| Season | Days | Departures | Light |
|---|---|---|---|
| October to March (summer) | Wed to Sun | 7:00pm, 8:20pm, 9:00pm | The 7pm walk starts in daylight; 9pm is close to dark |
| April to September (winter) | Wed to Sun | 6:00pm, 8:00pm | Dark from the start; cold, dress warmly |
The site adds extra departures on busy nights and can move times, so check the times for your date when you book. Arrive 15 to 30 minutes early to check in and walk to the start. For the darkest walk in summer, book the last tour. The summer 2026-27 post has the season's details.
How much is the Ghost Tour, and is day entry included?
A$35 for adults and A$18 for children. Day entry is not included: buy a General Admission ticket as well if you want to see the site in daylight.
The official FAQ says it plainly: Ghost Tours don't include daytime entry. The easiest plan is to arrive mid-afternoon on a day ticket (A$55, valid for two days), walk the site until 5pm, eat, then join an evening tour. Come back the next morning on the same day ticket.
- Dinner: the Port Arthur Café serves food until 5:30pm from Wednesday to Sunday, for people heading on to the tour.
- Lunch before: the 1830 Restaurant & Bar serves lunch daily from 11:30am to 2:30pm. Bookings are essential.
- Parking: the car park stays open until 10:30pm on Ghost Tour nights, Wednesday to Sunday.
Is the Port Arthur Ghost Tour suitable for kids?
For older children, yes. The site says it depends on age and maturity, and its family page recommends the Ghost Tour for ages 14 and over.
The Ghost Tour page says the walk is popular with older children but may not suit very young or very active ones, or anyone prone to nightmares. Anyone who disrupts the group may be asked to leave. The travelling with kids page goes further and suggests 14 and up.
Our take: a calm 10 or 11-year-old who likes a story will be fine on the early summer tour, which starts in daylight. A jumpy eight-year-old at 9pm in July is a different evening. You know your child.
Is the Ghost Tour accessible?
No. It is not wheelchair accessible and not suited to restricted mobility: the route runs through dark parts of heritage buildings, over 2 km of uneven, sloping ground.
The site gives limited access through dark areas as the reason. Wear flat shoes with grip; gravel paths and grass get slippery after rain. The tour goes ahead in most weather, and umbrellas aren't allowed, so bring a rain jacket with a hood. In winter, add a warm layer and a hat: the evenings by the water are cold.
How does the tour tell Port Arthur's dark history?
Through the people. The ghost stories hang on real lives at the settlement: convicts sent here for re-offending, boys at Point Puer, soldiers, officials and their families.
Port Arthur was a penal station from 1833 to 1877 for convicts who committed further crimes in the colony. Punishment here ran from hard labour in the timber gangs to the Separate Prison, completed in 1853, where silence and isolation were meant to work on the mind. Across the bay, Point Puer held boys, some as young as nine. Many who died are buried on the Isle of the Dead, most in unmarked graves.
That is the history behind the stories, and the guides treat it with care. Go for the storytelling; leave with a sharper sense of who was here. To go deeper in daylight, the site's Premium Tour covers the same buildings.
Can you do the Ghost Tour on a day trip from Hobart?
Not on any day tour: they all leave Port Arthur in the late afternoon. You need a car, and ideally a bed on the peninsula.
Driving back to Hobart after the tour is 90 minutes on a dark, winding highway with wildlife on the road. Doable after the 6pm winter tour, but we'd stay the night after anything later. If you do drive back, take it slowly from Eaglehawk Neck to Sorell. Without a car, there is no way back from an evening tour: the only public bus to Hobart leaves in the morning.
Where should you stay for the Ghost Tour?
On the Tasman Peninsula: Port Arthur itself, Stewarts Bay next door, Nubeena or Eaglehawk Neck. Then use day two of your ticket and catch a morning cruise.
Options run from a holiday park and cabins to lodges around Stewarts Bay, a few minutes from the site. Book early for summer weekends. A good two-day plan: afternoon on site, the Ghost Tour at night, then the 3-hour Tasman Island cruise at 10am from the booking centre just outside the gate, and back into the site in the afternoon on the same ticket. The cruises guide compares the boats.
The morning after: three hours under the sea cliffs of Cape Pillar, seals and seabirds, from 100 m outside the site gate.
Explore the Tasman Island cruise Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
Is the Port Arthur Ghost Tour scary?
It is atmospheric more than frightening: a guide, lanterns and stories in dark buildings. Nobody jumps out at you. Young children prone to nightmares are better off skipping it.
Does the Ghost Tour run every night?
No. It runs Wednesday to Sunday only, all year, at times that change with the season.
How far ahead should I book the Ghost Tour?
A week or more in summer and school holidays, when tours fill. In winter, a day or two is often enough. Book on the official site.
Does the Ghost Tour run in the rain?
Yes, in most weather. Umbrellas are not permitted, so bring a hooded rain jacket.
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Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Tasman Island Wilderness Cruise
Sea cliffs, seals and dolphins if you are already on the peninsula
Cape Raoul Wilderness Cruise
A 90-minute cruise from the site jetty to the dolerite columns
Port Arthur, Tasman Sights & Harbour Cruise
- Port Arthur Historic Site entry
- The 20-minute harbour cruise
- Pickup from 8 central Hobart points
