Coal Mines Historic Site was, for a period of 15 years (1833–48), a

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as " prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former conv ...

probation stationAustralian Department of Environment, Water, Heritage, and the Arts "Coal Mines Historic Site" webpages
5 August 2010 and the site of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

's (then

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

's) first operational

coal mine Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

, "serving as a place of punishment for the 'worst class' of convicts from Port Arthur".Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania's "Coal Mines" website
Accessed 5 August 2010 It is now the site of a collection of ruins and landscape modifications located amongst

bushland In Australia, bushland is a blanket term for land which supports remnant vegetation or land which is disturbed but still retains a predominance of the original floristics and structure. Human survival in bushland has a whole mythology evolving ...

facing onto the

Tasman Peninsula The Tasman Peninsula, officially Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula, is a peninsula located in south-east Tasmania, Australia, approximately by the Arthur Highway, south-east of Hobart. The Tasman Peninsula lies south and west of Forestier Peninsula ...

's Little Norfolk Bay, being ruins and landscape modifications of such cultural significance to Australia and to the World that the site has been formally inscribed onto both the

Australian National Heritage List The Australian National Heritage List or National Heritage List (NHL) is a heritage register, a list of national heritage places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia, established in 2003. The list includes natural and ...

and

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

listAustralia's Department of Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts "World Heritage: Australian Convict Sites" webpage
Accessed 2 August 2010 as amongst: NORFOLK BAY CONVICT STATION, TASMANIA

" .. the best surviving examples of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts."UNESCO's World Heritage "Australian Convict Sites" webpages
Accessed 2 August 2010

External links

*
Coal Mines Historic Site website

Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service - Coal Mines Historic Site

References

World Heritage Sites in Australia Australian National Heritage List Defunct prisons in Tasmania Protected areas of Tasmania 1833 establishments in Australia Tasman Peninsula Tasmanian Heritage Register Convictism in Tasmania {{Australia-protected-area-stub

See also

External links

References