The Isle of the Dead and Point Puer at Port Arthur
The Isle of the Dead tour at Port Arthur: what the site's own tour includes and costs, what the harbour cruise shows, Point Puer, and the day tour from Hobart that lands on the island.
The Isle of the Dead is the small island in the bay at Port Arthur that served as the settlement’s burial ground: the Historic Site says more than 1,000 people who lived and laboured there are buried on it, some in graves marked in stone and others unmarked. Every site entry includes a 20-minute harbour cruise that passes the island and Point Puer without landing; setting foot on the island needs a guided tour. From Hobart, Gray Line Tasmania’s Hobart: Port Arthur, Harbor Cruise and Isle of the Dead Tour includes it, from US$134 a person (checked November 2026).
The calendar above is Gray Line Tasmania’s Isle of the Dead day from Hobart, with 175 reviews (checked November 2026).
The short answer
If you only want to see the island, the harbour cruise in the standard entry does that: it passes the Isle of the Dead and Point Puer from the water. If you want to walk among the graves with a guide, book the Historic Site’s own Isle of the Dead tour (A$85, entry included), or, without a car, Gray Line Tasmania’s day from Hobart, which builds the island walk into the day.
Hobart: Port Arthur, Harbor Cruise and Isle of the Dead Tour
Gray Line Tasmania: Richmond and Eaglehawk Neck on the way, about 4 hours 20 minutes at the site, a cruise on Carnarvon Bay and a 1-hour guided walk on the Isle of the Dead. Hotel pickup.
Check dates →Grand Port Arthur with guided Isle of the Dead tour
Gray Line Tasmania (Experience Tasmania Gray Line Day Tours on Viator): the Grand Port Arthur day, with the site talks, the Carnarvon Bay cruise and the 1-hour guided walk on the Isle of the Dead.
See it on Viator →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
Where the island and Point Puer are
Both lie across the water from the settlement. The Isle of the Dead sits in the bay off Mason Cove; Point Puer is the headland on the far side, facing the settlement across the water. The site’s boats leave from the Port Arthur Jetty, below the Visitor Centre.
What the harbour cruise shows
The 20-minute harbour cruise is part of every general admission ticket and is not compulsory. It is how most visitors see the island and Point Puer: from the boat, without landing. Day tours from Hobart include it with the entry; on Viator, Gray Line describes it as a 30-minute cruise around the Isle of the Dead on Carnarvon Bay.
The Historic Site’s own Isle of the Dead tour
The Historic Site runs its own Isle of the Dead tour every day, at 12:30 pm, 1:15 pm and 2:45 pm. It takes 65 minutes: a 20-minute return ferry on the site’s boat, the MV Marana, and a 45-minute guided walk on the island. It costs A$85 an adult (November 2026), and that price includes general admission to the whole site. The site says the island holds more than 1,000 people who lived and laboured at Port Arthur between 1833 and 1877. Its walkways have gradients as steep as 1 in 8, and the site recommends assistance for anyone with a physical limitation. Book ahead: the site’s tours run at set times with limited places.
If you drive, this is the simplest way onto the island: buy the Isle of the Dead tour instead of plain general admission and choose a departure that suits your day. On Tassie Tours Tasmania’s day from Hobart, which reaches the site at about 11:40 am and stays up to four hours, the 12:30 pm and 1:15 pm departures fit; the day’s price already includes general admission, so the tour would be an extra ticket on top.
Point Puer
The Historic Site describes Point Puer as the first purpose-built juvenile prison in the British Empire. There is no separate guided tour of Point Puer itself. Its story is told in the exhibition Little Depraved Felons: The Boys of Point Puer, open 9 am to 5 pm daily and included in general admission, with short guide talks on it during the day. From the water, the harbour cruise passes the headland.
The day tour that lands on the island
Gray Line Tasmania’s day from Hobart is the one carded here that includes the island walk. The day runs like this: a photo stop at Richmond, Eaglehawk Neck, then about 4 hours 20 minutes at the Historic Site with the entry, the site talks, a cruise around Carnarvon Bay and a 1-hour guided walking tour on the Isle of the Dead, then Tasmans Arch and a chocolate foundry on the way back to Brooke Street Pier. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included; meals are not. The cruise is not suitable for people with mobility issues, and the tour not for wheelchair users.
Check dates for the Isle of the Dead day
Gray Line’s standard day, without the island walk, keeps the harbour cruise and costs less: from US$112 (checked November 2026). How long to allow at Port Arthur compares the time each tour leaves you at the site.
More on the Tasman Peninsula
Port Arthur Tours with Open Dates
Day tours from Hobart with live availability. Times, what is included and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Port Arthur and the Isle of the Dead in One Day
Gray Line Tasmania's day from Hobart includes the site entry, a cruise on Carnarvon Bay and a 1-hour guided walk on the island. This listing allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check dates