Site of the first white settlement in Tasmania from 1803-4. Previously the land had belonged to the Moomairremener people, who were cast out in a most savage and brutal manner.

Now strictly a tourist attraction, this island was used as a penal colony from January 1822-1833.

Kangaroo Bluff, originally settled in the 1820s, was the point where people and goods were ferried across the river -- and in 1975-6 ferries again operated after the collapse of the Tasman Bridge. The name Bellerive was adopted in the 1930s. Many fine buildings survive in Bellerive, one of the oldest being the Police Station and Watch House, circa 1842 (now the Community Arts Centre). Queen Street, originally named Bidasso Street, is lined with fine examples of colonial architecture.