Eaglehawk Neck

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Eaglehawk Neck viewed from the Martin Cash Lookout

Eaglehawk Neck is an isthmus , a natural narrow land link that connects the Tasman Peninsula in the southeast of the Australian island of Tasmania with the neighboring Forestier Peninsula .

history

The Eaglehawk Neck is approximately 400 m long and at its narrowest point less than 30 m wide. The British colonialists used the land link from the 1830s as a link to the locations of their convicts, Port Arthur Prison and the Coal Mines Historic Site, and guarded the narrow passage with watch dogs to prevent escapes. The entire area was heavily guarded by soldiers at that time, as there were numerous prison breakouts against the inhuman living and working conditions of the convicts, the best known being Martin Cash . In 1836 the crossing was guarded by 25 soldiers and there were other small guard stations on the peninsula. A guard house for the soldiers and a signaling station were located on the land link, which optically transmitted important messages between Port Arthur and Hobart .

Tourist information

Pirates Bay and Doo Town
Tessellated Pavement at sunset

The area contains notable geological formations, such as the Tessellated Pavement , which shows rectangular depressions due to weathering . Not far from there are the rock formations Tasman's Arch , The Blowhole and Devil's Kitchen . There is a hotel at Eaglehawk Neck , near the Tessellated Pavement. Accommodation for backpackers is on Jetty Road. Not far from Eaglehawk Neck , a path leads to the Martin Cash Lookout . On the eastern side of the Eaglehawk Neck is Pirates Bay , which offers an opportunity for surfing.

literature

  • Shirley Storey, Peter Storey: Tasman tracks. 25 walks on the Tasman and Forestier Peninsulas . 2nd ed. Koonya Press, Hobart 1990, ISBN 0-6460-1870-1 .

Web links

Commons : Eaglehawk Neck  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. Information on www.eaglehawkneck.com ( Memento from October 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive )

Coordinates: 43 ° 1 ′ 0 ″  S , 147 ° 55 ′ 33 ″  E