Home of the Spirit of Tasmania
Home Hill
Devonport was placed on my itinerary on my last trip to Tasmania, as I wanted to visit Home Hill. The previous year I had visited the other National Trust properties on my inaugural visit to Tasmania, but Home Hill was further away as I started my trip in Hobart, went to the east coast and then departed from Launceston. This year's trip I was focusing on northern Tasmania and Devonport was added to my itinerary.
Home Hill isn't a particularly grand home, my desire to visit had more to do with the owners. Home Hill was the home of a former Australian Prime Minister Joe Lyons, and his wife Enid who became the first woman in Australia to be elected to the House of Representatives. Joe Lyons died in office and a few years after his death his wife decided to enter politics, she would travel to Canberra from Devonport, she managed her home life, she and Joe had 12 children, 11 survived to adulthood and her political life which began during World War II, from Home Hill. Dame Enid (as she became) bequeathed the contents of Home Hill and even arranged some of the displays, to the National Trust, but the house itself was bequeathed to the local authority. The National Trust run the tours and it's free to enter if you're a National Trust member. Sadly they don't allow photos inside, but the tour is very informative so well worth visiting.
The Spirit of Tasmania is the ferry that does the crossing from Melbourne to Devonport and is the main entry into Tasmania for visitors who want to bring their own car. The crossing takes 11 hours overnight.
The Mersey River going out to sea ( Australia has quite a few place names that can be found in the UK!) Northern Tasmania has rich fertile soil perfect for agriculture and it soon became the food bowl for the young colonies, ships docked in the Mersey River from the late 1880s to transport produce to the mainland.
The regional art gallery.
The Rooke Street Mall
The town of Devonport is divided by the Mersey River, originally it had been 2 towns and the settlements were unified by public vote in 1890 and the town was named Devonport. The eastern side of the river has the central business district, the western side is more suburban.
Devonport, like Launceston has some stately old homes, there were quite a bit of wealth around.
Spirit of the Sea
There's a coastal path of parklands that goes along to the mouth of the river, the Spirit of the Sea statue stands at the point where the river meets the sea. (It's also opposite the Maritime Museum and a boardwalk that gives you great views down the river and out to sea)
View looking back into Devonport
The Bluff lighthouse
I drove along the coast stopping at the landmarks along the way, the weather being fantastic meant that the views were terrific. I made my way to Coles Bay as that was listed as a great place to visit, it was but it's just a nice beach! My desire for a pleasant afternoon tea stop (coffee and cake!) was not met!
Coles Bay
Devonport is about a 90 minute drive to Cradle Mountain and that was going to be my next stop. The drive from Devonport is along some less travelled roads (the main route seems to be from Launceston) so it was another bonus in choosing to stop in Devonport.
Having now checked the 'Ten best things to do in Devonport' it seems I managed a few of them! Home Hill, Bluff lighthouse and Coles Beach. (Spirit of Tasmania is on that list too, but all you can do as a visitor is look at it!) There is an historic train that does trips to Coles Bay but it runs Wednesday to Sunday, the other days the Don River Railway museum is open but the trains aren't running.
Devonport is a nice little town and worth stopping and having a look at for anyone touring northern Tasmania or coming off the ferry, stop a while before seeing the rest of the island.
Devonport was placed on my itinerary on my last trip to Tasmania, as I wanted to visit Home Hill. The previous year I had visited the other National Trust properties on my inaugural visit to Tasmania, but Home Hill was further away as I started my trip in Hobart, went to the east coast and then departed from Launceston. This year's trip I was focusing on northern Tasmania and Devonport was added to my itinerary.
Home Hill isn't a particularly grand home, my desire to visit had more to do with the owners. Home Hill was the home of a former Australian Prime Minister Joe Lyons, and his wife Enid who became the first woman in Australia to be elected to the House of Representatives. Joe Lyons died in office and a few years after his death his wife decided to enter politics, she would travel to Canberra from Devonport, she managed her home life, she and Joe had 12 children, 11 survived to adulthood and her political life which began during World War II, from Home Hill. Dame Enid (as she became) bequeathed the contents of Home Hill and even arranged some of the displays, to the National Trust, but the house itself was bequeathed to the local authority. The National Trust run the tours and it's free to enter if you're a National Trust member. Sadly they don't allow photos inside, but the tour is very informative so well worth visiting.
The Spirit of Tasmania is the ferry that does the crossing from Melbourne to Devonport and is the main entry into Tasmania for visitors who want to bring their own car. The crossing takes 11 hours overnight.
The Mersey River going out to sea ( Australia has quite a few place names that can be found in the UK!) Northern Tasmania has rich fertile soil perfect for agriculture and it soon became the food bowl for the young colonies, ships docked in the Mersey River from the late 1880s to transport produce to the mainland.
The town of Devonport is divided by the Mersey River, originally it had been 2 towns and the settlements were unified by public vote in 1890 and the town was named Devonport. The eastern side of the river has the central business district, the western side is more suburban.
Devonport, like Launceston has some stately old homes, there were quite a bit of wealth around.
There's a coastal path of parklands that goes along to the mouth of the river, the Spirit of the Sea statue stands at the point where the river meets the sea. (It's also opposite the Maritime Museum and a boardwalk that gives you great views down the river and out to sea)
I drove along the coast stopping at the landmarks along the way, the weather being fantastic meant that the views were terrific. I made my way to Coles Bay as that was listed as a great place to visit, it was but it's just a nice beach! My desire for a pleasant afternoon tea stop (coffee and cake!) was not met!
Devonport is about a 90 minute drive to Cradle Mountain and that was going to be my next stop. The drive from Devonport is along some less travelled roads (the main route seems to be from Launceston) so it was another bonus in choosing to stop in Devonport.
Having now checked the 'Ten best things to do in Devonport' it seems I managed a few of them! Home Hill, Bluff lighthouse and Coles Beach. (Spirit of Tasmania is on that list too, but all you can do as a visitor is look at it!) There is an historic train that does trips to Coles Bay but it runs Wednesday to Sunday, the other days the Don River Railway museum is open but the trains aren't running.
Devonport is a nice little town and worth stopping and having a look at for anyone touring northern Tasmania or coming off the ferry, stop a while before seeing the rest of the island.
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