Saltwater River is a rural locality on the north-western Tasman Peninsula. Its quiet coast sits close to the Coal Mines Historic Site, where convict labour extracted coal for the colonial settlement.

Coast and working land

Farms, private roads and narrow public routes shape access. Use signed reserves and do not treat open-looking paddocks or shore tracks as public land.

Historic ruins in the Saltwater River district
Convict-era remains require conservation and safe viewing.Cnwb at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Coal Mines Historic Site

The nearby site preserves shafts, ruins and settlement remains within the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage property. Old workings and cliff edges are hazardous, and Parks Tasmania directions should override informal maps.

Port Arthur penitentiary ruins
Saltwater River belonged to the wider Tasman Peninsula convict system.Pacificwizard, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Allow a focused half-day

Carry water and food, check road and fire conditions and leave enough daylight for the return. Combine the district with Nubeena, Port Arthur or the Tasman Peninsula.