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Tasmania (Northern Region) |
| Devonport | |
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At the mouth of the Mersy River, almost in the middle of the North coast
Devonport is referred to as the Gateway of Tasmania, being the Tasmanian
port for the Spirit of Tasmania Bass Strait service. It is a modern,
tourism orientated city with an airport for interstate and intrastate
services with full accommodation and visitor faculties. The city has many
attractions and some of the states best scenery is close by.
As the ship makes its slow progress up the Mersey River, you might almost think you’re arriving at a 1950s English seaport, but for the tin-roofed weatherboard bungalows, the brittle quality of the light, the bush-covered hills to the east and a McDonald’s on the waterfront. As a jumping-off point for Cradle Mountain, the Overland Track and the rugged west coast, Devonport has developed a significant tourism infrastructure, being a magnet for car-rental companies, bus companies, camping stores and backpacking information, but it’s hardly a destination in itself. Although most visitors simply observe it from the window of a bus as they hurry on to Hobart or Launceston, it does make a good base for trips into the surrounding countryside. |
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| Central
Devonport is bounded by the Mersey to the
east; Formby Road runs alongside it, while Stewart Street, at right
angles, is dominated by a view of the bulky Spirit of Tasmania,
when it’s in port, and sometimes other colourful freighters. The
Wilderness Society Shop, at 26 Stewart St (tel 03/6424 7393), is an
excellent source of alternative tourist information and also sells
posters, cards, T-shirts and books. Along the street at no. 45, the Devonport
Art Gallery (Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 2–5pm; free), is a converted
church with changing exhibitions and a small permanent collection of
Tasmanian ceramics. The city centre is also a shopping focus for
departing tourists in need of last-minute souvenirs. Stewart Street, in
particular, is full of gift shops selling superior souvenirs – tasteful
wooden items, ceramics and jewellery among them. There’s more shopping
in the Rooke Street Mall, where most of the big-name chain stores
are located, but Devonport’s not large enough to rate its own department
store.
South of the city centre, at 77 Middle Rd, is Home Hill (Tues–Thurs, Sat & Sun 2–4pm; $6), the National Trust-administered former home of Sir Joseph Lyons, premier of Tasmania (1923–29) and prime minister of Australia (1932–39), and his wife, Dame Enid Lyons, who became a federal minister after her husband’s death. The Tasmanian Maritime and Folk Museum, north of the city centre at 47 Victoria Parade, near the river’s mouth (Tues–Sun 1–4pm; $1), has an extensive display of model ships ranging from sailing vessels to modern passenger ferries. The only really compelling place to visit, though, is the Tiagarra Tasmanian Aboriginal Culture and Art Centre (daily 9am–5pm; $3), located at the dramatic Mersey Bluff 1.5km northwest of the Maritime and Folk Museum, near the end of Bluff Road. The centre has preserved around 270 Aboriginal rock engravings. However, only eleven of the coiled lines and concentric circles, and motifs of snakes, abalone shells, emus, crayfish and other creatures, are exposed to view, but a Display Centre provides generalized (and rather rushed) taped background information on how the Tasmanian Aborigines lived. Although commercial passenger train services in Tasmania ceased in the 1970s, the Don River Railway runs excursions from Don Recreation Ground along the Don River to the popular surfing spot of Coles Beach (hourly 10am–4pm; 30min; $7 return). On Sunday, public holidays and from Christmas to the end of January the carriages are pulled by steam locomotives; otherwise, diesel power is used. Around Devonport |
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| East
of Devonport there are some particularly
rewarding spots on the Rubicon River estuary, where you’ll find
the seaside resort of PORT SORELL, roughly 19km from Devonport and
across the river from the Asbestos Range National Park. You can stay
here at Heron on Earth Organic Farm (tel 03/6248 6144; $19–$60),
which rents out canoes for you to paddle across to the national park. More
luxurious accommodation is provided 4km northeast at HAWLEY BEACH,
at the well-regarded Hawley House (tel 03/6428 6221; B&B $125
and over), which has a fine restaurant; the eccentric owner has a rooftop
bathtub which guests are encouraged to use under the stars. From Hawley
Beach there’s a ten-kilometre return walk to Point Sorell.
Getting there & around |
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to nine hundred people arrive in Devonport at 8.30am each Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday morning on the Spirit of Tasmania Bass
Strait ferry (tel 13 2010), which docks at the terminal in East
Devonport, just across the Mersey River from the city centre. As the boat
has its own tourist information and booking centre, a small interpretive
centre and even national park rangers dispensing advice in summer, you
might well have made all your arrangements on board before arriving.
If not, there are company representatives in the terminal, and you can buy bus passes and tickets here. Most passengers head immediately for the waiting Tasmanian Redline Coaches express buses which leave the terminal at 8.45am for Launceston ($13.30) and Hobart ($32.50). Other bus routes leave from the depots in town. If you decide to stay, you can get to the city centre by walking north for a short distance to the bottom of Murray Street, where the ferry Torquay crosses the river (every 15–30min Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 8.30am–5pm, no service Sun; $1.50, bikes 50¢). Southern Australia Airlines, Kendell and Aus Air fly from the mainland into Devonport Airport, 10km east of the city. Taxis into Devonport cost about $12, and Fox Coaches (mobile phone 0418/142 692; $5) operate a shuttle bus connecting with all flights, dropping and picking up as far out as the youth hostel; it also picks up at the travel and information centre. The Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre, at 5 Best St (Mon–Sat 9am–5pm; tel 03/6424 4466), is in the Showcase building behind McDonald’s. Staff here can book accommodation, tours and travel, and sell all types of bus passes. For maps, bushwalking tips and local knowledge of the area visit the Backpackers Barn, 10–12 Edward St (daily 9am–6pm; tel 03/6424 3628), which specializes in the planning of itineraries and rents equipment for bushwalkers and backpackers, and offers travellers a day-room, showers and lockers (mostly free). The excellent Allgoods, at 10 Rooke St (tel 03/6424 7099; closed Sun), also rents out gear. Eating, drinking and nightlife |
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Accommodation |
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| Devonport
has plenty of accommodation, mainly intended for ferry passengers.
Hotels, motels and B&Bs take advantage of the summer trade to raise
their prices.
Abel Tasman Caravan Park, 6 Wright St, East Devonport (tel 03/6427 8794). Campsites on East Devonport Beach, just a short walk from the ferry terminal. Cabins $46–60, on-site vans $31–45.
Attractions |
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