‘Maria’ is pronounced ‘Mahr-eye-ah’,
as in Mariah Carey, not ‘Mar-ee-ah’

The first European to sight Maria Island was Abel Tasman in December 1642. It was Tasman who, having named the main island after Anthony Van Diemen, the Governor-in-Chief of the Dutch East India Company in Batavia, named this island, Maria, after the Governor-in-Chief’s wife. Maria Island was Tasmania’s second penal settlement and later became a convict probation station, grazing property, the site for vineyards, and a cement works.

With an area of 11,550 ha, this wild, rugged island is over 20 km long and 13 km wide, and comprising  two halves that are linked by a sandy isthmus. With great mountain views (Mount Maria rises to 710 m and ‘the Bishop and Clerk’ reaches 915 m), sweeping bays, rugged cliffs that tumbling into the sea, jagged rocky outcrops, and beaches.

Declared a national park and wildlife sanctuary in 1971, it is used for breeding of threatened indigenous wildlife. The landscape is covered mainly with eucalypt forests, interspersed with coastal heath, while the east coast is mainly rugged steep cliffs. There are over 80 species of birds, including emus and wallabies that are frequently sighted. There are also extensive fossil deposits.

There are camping grounds on the island or alternatively accommodation is available in the bunkhouses of the former penitentiary. You must take all your own provisions, as there are no shops on the island.

Location: 6 km off the east coast of Tasmania, from Orford and Triabunna.
Access: short ferry ride from Orford, Triabunna or by light aircraft.

For up-to-date information visit the tourist information centre. For Maria Island accommodation click here: