Darlington Probation Station

The Commissariat Store, completed in 1825, is the oldest surviving building on the island and now serves as the park visitor centre, open daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Its thick stone walls once held provisions, spirits and ordnance for the settlement's garrison. Nearby stands the Penitentiary, built with 200,000 locally fired bricks and capable of housing nearly 300 convicts in triple-tiered hammock dormitories, today it offers basic bunk room accommodation for overnight visitors.

Other intact structures include the 1844 Oast House hop kiln (one of the oldest in Australia), the Mess Hall that served 400 convicts at a sitting, the Officers' Quarters, and the cottage once occupied by Irish nationalist William Smith O'Brien during his political exile. Information boards and museum displays throughout the settlement explain the probation system, under which convicts were assigned labour on the island rather than transported directly to free settlers. The site is fully self-guided and walkable within half a day.

As of 2026, infrastructure construction works are underway around the Darlington township, with heavy machinery operating on site. Visitors should be prepared for some noise and activity in parts of the settlement, though all heritage buildings and interpretive displays remain accessible. There are no shops or food outlets anywhere on Maria Island, so bring all supplies from the mainland.