A World Heritage site
The Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Historic Area (KAVHA) is of outstanding significance to the nation as a convict settlement spanning the era of transportation to eastern Australia between 1788–1855.
In 2010 KAVHA was inscribed on the World Heritage List as one of eleven historic sites that together form the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property.
Together the sites represent the forced migration of convicts to penal colonies in the 18th and 19th centuries and global developments in the punishment of crime in modern times. The Australian Convict Sites are the preeminent examples of Australia’s rich convict history.
The other Australian Convict Sites are:
New South Wales
- Old Government House and Domain (Parramatta)
- Hyde Park Barracks (Sydney)
- Cockatoo Island Convict Site (Sydney)
- Old Great North Road (near Wiseman's Ferry)
Tasmania
- Port Arthur Historic Site (Tasman Peninsula)
- Cascades Female Factory (Hobart)
- Darlington Probation Station (Maria Island)
- Coal Mines Historic Site (via Premadeyna)
- Estates (near Longford)—Woolmers Estate and Brickendon Estate
Western Australia
The Australian Convict Sites Strategic Management Framework 2018 addresses Australia’s international responsibilities for the Australian Convict Sites under the World Heritage Convention.