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| The
lighthouse at Devonport in the late
afternoon light |
Devonport
Major point of entry for visitors travelling
across Bass Strait.
The city of Devonport is the largest and most
important port on Tasmania's north coast. It is
located at the mouth of the Mersey River, 98 km
west of Launceston on the Bass Highway. The
port's importance, particularly as far as
visitors from the mainland are concerned, is
that it is the arrival port for the Spirit of
Tasmania I, II and III, the car ferries, which
arrive from Melbourne and Sydney. The Melbourne
service operates daily and the Sydney service
sails three times a week. Consequently it has
become known as 'The Gateway to Tasmania'. One
of the benefits of this link with the mainland
is that Devonport, of all the towns in Tasmania,
outside Launceston and Hobart, offers an
excellent range of modern motels and hotels.
No one is exactly sure how Devonport got its
name although it is obvious that the origins
must be associated with the County of Devon in
southern England. One school of thought argues,
without any strong evidence, that Devonport was
named, with a nice sense of nostalgia for the
'old country', after the coastal town of
Devonport in the county of Devon. The more
likely origin is that the district around the
city was called the County of Devon and that
this naturally led to the port being named
Devonport.
The lower reaches of the Mersey River were
explored as early as 1823. Reports of the region
at this time were far from favourable. One
explorer observed that the land was
'mountainous, extremely barren and totally unfit
for habitation'.
The district was explored and surveyed by the
Van Diemen's Land Company in 1826. Settlers
arrived that year but were met by opposition and
resentment from the local Aborigines which
culminated in the killing of Captain Bartholomew
Boyle Thomas, the district's first settler, in
1829.
The town of Devonport came into being on 11
February 1890 when two smaller townships -
Formby on the west side of the Mersey River (it
had been laid out in 1853) and Torquay on the
east bank (established 1851) - amalgamated.
Prior to this amalgamation port facilities - a
store, wharf and warning beacons - as well as
the Don Railway had been completed by 1854.
During the early 1850s the port was being used
by timber cutters and boat builders while some
coal mining was also occurring further
downstream.
Crossing the Mersey River proved a real
problem to early travellers and residents. Prior
to 1860 the crossing was limited to swimming a
horse across or travelling by any available
boat. In 1860 a rough log bridge was built
upstream at the village of Latrobe. Eventually a
ferry plied the river but it wasn't until 1902
that a bridge was finally built.
A local Marine Board was formed in 1868 and
the railway from Launceston arrived in 1885. The
port's lighthouse, now part of the National
Estate, was completed in 1899 (it still stands
on Mersey Bluff) and the Devonport Municipal
Council was formed in 1908.
The city has a number of attractions to
encourage visitors to linger before heading off
to explore the rest of Tasmania. Both Tiagarra
and the Don River Tramway, which would be
regarded as the city's two premier tourist
attractions, are an interesting mixture of the
historic and the contemporary.
The region around Devonport is known as
"Australia's market garden". It produces 40% of
Tasmania's vegetable crop. The region is known
for its onions, potatoes, peas, carrots and
beans.
Things to see:
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Devonport Visitor Centre
The Devonport Visitor Centre at 92 Formby Road
specialises in selling Tasmanian holiday
experiences including accommodation, National
Park passes, Fishing licences, car hire and
Spirit of Tasmania bookings. The Centre, which
can be found on the western shore in the City
Centre, opposite the Spirit of Tasmania berth,
also stocks a broad range of Tasmanian tourist
information and is open seven days a week.
Tiagarra
Tiagarra (a Tasmanian Aboriginal word meaning
'keep' or 'keeping place') is located on Mersey
Bluff, on the western shore of the Mersey River.
It is one of the few Tasmanian sites where
Aboriginal rock carvings are still well
preserved. Consequently, it is very important as
a record of the Aboriginal settlement of the
Tasmania's northern coast. The carvings were
discovered by a local school teacher in 1929 and
the site was protected shortly afterwards. The
Tiagarra Art Centre was opened by Sir Douglas
Nicholls in 1976 and currently houses more than
2000 artefacts in 18 displays. Dioramas and
displays depicting the lifestyle of the original
inhabitants of the area are part of the
presentation. It is open seven days a week from
9.00 a.m - 4.30 p.m.
Don River Railway
The Don River Railway, owned and operated by the
Van Diemen Light Railway Society, is located on
the banks of the Don River to the west of
Devonport. Open daily with trains running hourly
from 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. it offers a short
train ride along the river to Coles Beach. It
also includes interesting displays of old steam
locomotives and passenger carriages (the largest
collection in Tasmania).
The original Don River Tramway was built in
1854 to bring timber out of the Don River valley
- although the track now used for tourism was
never used for timber carrying. The present
railway uses a section of line built in 1916 by
BHP to carry limestone from quarries at Melrose,
a few kilometres inland. This railway continued
to operate until 1963.
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| Home Hill -
The home of Dame Edith and Joseph Lyons
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Home Hill
An interesting historical attraction is Home
Hill, the home of Dame Enid and Joseph Lyons.
Located at 77 Middle Road (it runs off the
Devonport By-pass at the western end of the
town) Home Hill is a superb old building with
exquisitely kept gardens, heady vines of
wisteria, and large mature trees. The National
Trust brochure describes the building and its
gardens in the following glowing terms 'The
house was built...in 1916, one year after their
marriage, and except for a period of five years
it remained their home for the rest of their
lives. The house and grounds are now owned by
the City of Devonport and the contents by the
National Trust. Joseph Lyons was Premier of
Tasmania from 1923 to 1928. In 1929 he entered
Federal Parliament and from 1932 till 1939 was
Prime Minister of Australia. He died in office
in 1939. He is the only Tasmanian to have been
Prime Minister and the only Australian to have
been both Premier of his State and the Prime
Minister of the Commonwealth. Dame Enid Lyons
was elected in 1943 and became the first woman
member of the House of Representatives. In 1949
she was sworn-in as the first woman Federal
Minister of the Crown. Dame Enid retired from
Parliament in 1951 because of ill-health. Home
Hill is as Dame Enid left it and contains many
interesting and historic mementos of the life of
a Prime Minister.'
It was to Home Hill that Dame Edith Lyons
retired and wrote her memoir So We Take Comfort.
Home Hill is open from 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and
Sunday.
Tasmanian Maritime Museum
Other attractions in the area include the
Tasmanian Maritime Museum in Gloucester Avenue,
off Victoria Parade, West Devonport which has
extensive and interesting displays of maritime
memorabilia, with an emphasis on the city's
maritime history. It has some superb model ships
including the excellent four-masted barque
Lawhill. It is open every day of week (except
Mondays) - 10.00 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. in summer and
10.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m. in winter.
Imaginarium Science Centre
Located only a short walk from the CBD at 23
Macfie Street, the centre features over 50
interactive exhibits providing an opportunity to
learn about the science that is in our everyday
lives. Open Mon Thur 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Sat & Sun 12.00 noon - 5.00 p.m. Closed Friday
except Tas. School Holidays.
Devonport Regional Gallery
Featuring predominately 20th Century collections
of fine and decorative art with an emphasis on
work by Tasmanian artists. Located in the centre
of the CBD at 45 Stewart Street. Open Mon - Sat
10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. Sunday 2.00 p.m. - 5.00
p.m.
Australian Weaving Mills Factory Outlet
Located at 45 Tasman Street, Devonport. Pick up
a bargain at this factory seconds towelling and
linen shop where you will find label such as
Dickies and Dri-Glo. Open Monday Friday 9.00
a.m. - 4.30 p.m. Sat 9.00 a.m. - Noon.
Tasmanian Arboretum
A unique botanic tree park of native and exotic
species sited on 58 hectares, 10km south of
Devonport. There are quite a few walking tracks
to various picturesque locations including some
beautiful waterfalls. Try spotting a platypus in
the dam or enjoy a BBQ. A great place to relax
and enjoy the surrounds.
House Of Anvers
The total chocolate experience - manufacturing
viewing room and chocolate museum. Belgian-style
breakfasts and Tasmanian Fare. Tastings and
sales of specialty chocolate truffles, fudges
and pralines. All set within a 1931 Californian
Bungalow. Enjoy a snack in the cafe or in the
beautiful gardens which surround the property.
Located on the Bass Highway between Devonport
and Latrobe. Open 7 days a week 7.00 a.m. - 5.00
p.m.
