The Coal Mines Historic Site (Coal Mines), near Saltwater River on the Tasman Peninsula, was Tasmania’s first mining site and a feared component of the convict punishment system.
Today the Coal Mines is one of eleven sites that comprise the Australian Convicts Sites World Heritage property. The Coal Mines is currently managed by the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority (PAHSMA) under the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority Act 1987, along with the Port Arthur Historic Site and the Cascades Female Factory.
PAHSMA has an obligation to manage the heritage values of the sites under its care and control and to ensure the protection, conservation, presentation and transmission of these values to all generations.
The purpose of this Master Plan is to provide PAHSMA with a management planning document that reviews the current management issues found at the Coal Mines and establish objectives for the future management of the Site.
The Master Plan is currently in the final stages of development, and the draft plan is available for download below.