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22-495: The Tasman Peninsula , officially Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula , is a peninsula located in south-east Tasmania , Australia , approximately 75 km (47 mi) by the Arthur Highway , south-east of Hobart . The Tasman Peninsula lies south and west of Forestier Peninsula , to which it connects via an isthmus called Eaglehawk Neck . This in turn is joined to the rest of Tasmania by an isthmus called East Bay Neck , near

44-458: The Coal River . Peninsula The word peninsula derives from Latin paeninsula , from paene  'almost' and insula  'island'. The word entered English in the 16th century. A peninsula is generally defined as a piece of land surrounded on most sides by water. A peninsula may be bordered by more than one body of water, and

66-655: The Hippolyte Rocks off its east coast - the Tasman in 1883 and the Nord in 1915. Munroe Bight to the north of Cape Pillar is named after the former American barque James Munroe wrecked there in 1850. The Tasman Peninsula is well known for its rugged eastern coastline, and much of it is now the Tasman National Park . At Eaglehawk Neck are many strange rock formations, including The Devils Kitchen, Tasman's Arch, Blow Hole and

88-513: The Pydairrerme people. Their territory was what is now known as the Tasman and Forestier peninsulas. The Pydairrerme people were a part of the larger Paredarerme language group, whose territory covered a large area of the east coast of Tasmania. The area was named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman after colonisation but was dual named as of March 2021. The first European settlement of the peninsula

110-618: The South-east Tasmania Important Bird Area , identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance in the conservation of a range of woodland birds, especially the endangered swift parrot and forty-spotted pardalote . While the region is best known for its convict history it is now the key area in the battle to save the Tasmanian devil from extinction from a new type of contagious cancer called devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). The isolation from

132-646: The Tessellated Pavement . Further south are the highest sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere, rising 300 metres (980 ft) above the Tasman Sea at Cape Pillar . The peninsula has notable surf spots at Cape Raoul , Roaring Beach and Shipstern Bluff . A historical survey map is available which outlines the geology and vegetation of the Tasman Peninsula, Forestier Peninsula and south east from

154-588: The 1880s. During the period 1900-1930s, the main operator servicing the area was the Huon Channel & Peninsula Steamship Company, owners of several vessels including the extant MV Cartela . The rare Cape Pillar sheoak is a shrub or small tree found only in the Tasman National Park where it is restricted to the Cape Pillar area of the Tasman Peninsula and to Tasman Island. The peninsula forms part of

176-843: The IBA include Wielangta , the Meehan and Wellington Ranges , and the Tasman Peninsula . The area has been identified by BirdLife International as an IBA because it contains almost all the breeding habitat of the endangered swift parrot on the Tasmanian mainland, several populations of the endangered forty-spotted pardalote, as well as good numbers of flame and pink robins , striated fieldwrens and populations of all of Tasmania's endemic bird species. 42°59′35″S 147°25′56″E  /  42.99306°S 147.43222°E  / -42.99306; 147.43222 This Tasmania geography article

198-413: The Tasmanian mainland, where DFTD is running unchecked and has killed more than half of all devils, is ideal for maintaining a healthy wild Tasmanian devil population in a project that involves the local Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park at Taranna and government and university scientists. The rugged coastline has been the scene of a number of shipwrecks. Two large seagoing steamers have sunk after hitting

220-857: The body of water does not have to be an ocean or a sea. A piece of land on a very tight river bend or one between two rivers is sometimes said to form a peninsula, for example in the New Barbadoes Neck in New Jersey , United States. A peninsula may be connected to the mainland via an isthmus , for example, in the Isthmus of Corinth which connects to the Peloponnese peninsula. Peninsulas can be formed from continental drift , glacial erosion , glacial meltwater , glacial deposition , marine sediment , marine transgressions , volcanoes, divergent boundaries or river sedimentation. More than one factor may play into

242-489: The formation of a peninsula. For example, in the case of Florida , continental drift, marine sediment, and marine transgressions were all contributing factors to its shape. In the case of formation from glaciers (e.g., the Antarctic Peninsula or Cape Cod ), peninsulas can be created due to glacial erosion , meltwater or deposition . If erosion formed the peninsula, softer and harder rocks were present, and since

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264-466: The glacier only erodes softer rock, it formed a basin . This may create peninsulas, and occurred for example in the Keweenaw Peninsula . In the case of formation from meltwater, melting glaciers deposit sediment and form moraines , which act as dams for the meltwater. This may create bodies of water that surround the land, forming peninsulas. If deposition formed the peninsula, the peninsula

286-570: The main highway at Taranna, is a popular local visitor attraction along with the World Heritage Port Arthur Historic Site and a number of beaches. The local government area is the Tasman Council . The area of the peninsula and of the local government area is 660 square kilometres (250 sq mi). The original name for the area is Turrakana. The Aboriginal inhabitants of this area preceding European arrival were

308-413: The rest of the state, tourism is a major industry. Bushwalking is also popular in the often rugged terrain, particularly picturesque spots being Cape Raoul and Cape Pillar at the extreme south-west and south-east ends of the peninsula, separated by the entrance to Port Arthur. In the era between the convict settlement and the rise of the modern tourist industry, people in the area were mostly engaged in

330-468: The sediment is deposited, forming a delta peninsula. Marine transgressions (changes in sea level) may form peninsulas, but also may affect existing peninsulas. For example, the water level may change, which causes a peninsula to become an island during high water levels. Similarly, wet weather causing higher water levels make peninsulas appear smaller, while dry weather make them appear larger. Sea level rise from global warming will permanently reduce

352-950: The size of some peninsulas over time. Peninsulas are noted for their use as shelter for humans and Neanderthals . The landform is advantageous because it gives hunting access to both land and sea animals. They can also serve as markers of a nation's borders. South-east Tasmania Important Bird Area The South-east Tasmania Important Bird Area encompasses much of the land retaining forest and woodland habitats, suitable for breeding swift parrots and forty-spotted pardalotes , from Orford to Recherche Bay in south-eastern Tasmania , Australia . This large 335,777-hectare (829,720-acre) Important Bird Area (IBA) comprises wet and dry eucalypt forests containing old growth Tasmanian blue gums or black gums , and grassy manna gum woodlands, as well as suburban residential centres and farmland where they retain large flowering, and adjacent hollow -bearing, trees. Key tracts of forest within

374-451: The timber industry and fishing. The terrain and soil types impeded large-scale agriculture, although orcharding and general farming was and is conducted in suitable locations. The region remained highly isolated until the introduction of regular river steamer services between it and Hobart in the 1880s - they were further encouraged by the tourist industry to Port Arthur that began when overseas steamships began to call into Hobart, also during

396-530: The town of Dunalley , approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) by road from Hobart. The peninsula is surrounded by water; to the north by Norfolk Bay , to the northwest by Frederick Henry Bay , to the west and south by Storm Bay , and to the east by the Tasman Sea . Many smaller towns are also located on the Tasman Peninsula, the largest of which are Nubeena and Koonya . Smaller centres include Premaydena, Highcroft and Stormlea. The Conservation Park, located on

418-552: The volcano erupts near shallow water. Marine sediment may form peninsulas by the creation of limestone . A rift peninsula may form as a result of a divergent boundary in plate tectonics (e.g. the Arabian Peninsula ), while a convergent boundary may also form peninsulas (e.g. Gibraltar or the Indian subcontinent ). Peninsulas can also form due to sedimentation in rivers. When a river carrying sediment flows into an ocean,

440-487: Was Port Arthur in the early 1830s. It was selected as a penal settlement because it was geographically isolated from the rest of the colony but more easily reachable by sea than the other place of secondary banishment, Macquarie Harbour on the west coast, which could then be closed down. It also had excellent supplies of timber for shipbuilding and general construction work, and a deep sheltered harbour where visiting British warships could be repaired. Its inaccessibility

462-538: Was composed of sedimentary rock , which was created from a large deposit of glacial drift . The hill of drift becomes a peninsula if the hill formed near water but was still connected to the mainland, for example during the formation of Cape Cod about 23,000 years ago. In the case of formation from volcanoes, when a volcano erupts magma near water, it may form a peninsula (e.g., the Alaskan Peninsula ). Peninsulas formed from volcanoes are especially common when

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484-447: Was enhanced by having Eaglehawk Neck lined with guards and guard dogs, to prevent the escape of any convicts. A small number did escape, including the bushranger Martin Cash . The Coal Mines Historic Site , located near the north tip west of the peninsula, was originally the site of a convict-operated coal mine. The penal settlement of Port Arthur is now a tourist attraction. As in most of

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