Taranna
Postcode: 7180
Taranna is a tiny hamlet situated on the Tasman Peninsula in southeastern Tasmania. It is noted for its picturesque Presbyterian church, and popular Tasmanian Devil Park.
Located 89 km south east of Hobart on the Arthur Highway, Taranna is a tiny, and rather sleepy, little settlement on the road to Port Arthur.
Taranna’s one claim to historical importance is that it was the terminus for the dreaded human railway which ran from Port Arthur to the jetty at Little Norfolk Bay. This railway line was designed to carry passengers and supplies from the security of Norfolk Bay across the narrow isthmus to Port Arthur and Long Bay. The aim was to avoid the rough seas which characterised journeys from Hobart Town to Port Arthur which were forced to round Cape Raoul. The railway has the dubious distinction of being the first railway in Australia. The technique used was to get four convicts to push the carriages along the 7 km line.