Devonport Attractions

The Tiagarra Aboriginal Culture and Art Centre has an informative exhibition on the Aboriginal inhabitants of Tasmania. The Centre is situated on Mersey Bluff, a rocky promontory on the Bass Strait that was a sacred place to the Aborigines. On the cliffs along the coast there are Aboriginal rock drawings.

The Don River Tramway was constructed in 1854 to transport timber from the Don Valley to the west. In 1916 a railroad line was built to carry stone from the limestone quarries. The line was closed down in 1963, but five years later was reopened as the Don River Railway, with a railroad museum displaying a large collection of old rolling stock. A veteran train runs on the line daily in summer and on Sundays at other times of year.

Home Hill (1916) was the home of Joseph Lyons, prime minister of Tasmania 1923-8 and of Australia 1932-9. After his death, in 1943, his widow was elected to the Australian Parliament, the first woman member.

The little town of Latrobe (pop. 2600), which flourished in the late 19th C, is on the Mersey River. In the main street are a number of Victorian buildings. The former Courthouse in Gilbert Street now houses a museum of regional history.

Every year at Christmas the biggest cycle race in Australia is run here. It is organized by the Latrobe Bicycle Race Club, which was founded in 1896.

Just outside Latrobe is Frogmore, a historic old homestead of around 1880 in neoclassical style, now a farm guesthouse.

On the north coast of Tasmania, at the foot of the forest-covered Dial Range, is the little town of Penguin (pop. 2800), founded about 1860. In the period of prosperity after the finding of gold in Victoria, Penguin became an important port for the shipment of building timber. It has two fine churches, St Stephen's (Anglican; built 1874, enlarged 1896) and the interesting timber-built Uniting Church of 1903. From the summit of Mount Montgomery (471m) there are panoramic views.

Port Sorell (pop. 1400) is at the mouth of the Rubicon River. Founded in 1822 and named after Governor Sorell, it is the oldest settlement on the northwest coast of Tasmania. Many of its old buildings were destroyed in a great bush fire at the beginning of the 20th C. Port Sorell is now a popular holiday resort (water sports, fishing, walking).

In the northern foothills of the Great Western Tiers is the rising tourist resort of Sheffield (pop. 1000; hotel, motel, caravan/camping park). A farming town, it lies in an area of impressive gorges, forests, waterfalls and rivers well stocked with fish. An interesting feature of the town is the paintings of historical scenes on house walls. Within easy reach are the artificial lakes of the Mersey-Forth hydro-electric scheme. On Lake Barrington are a number of attractive picnic areas. A winding road leads to Cradle Mountain/Lake St Clair National Park, 60km southwest.

Near the mouth of the Leven River is Ulverstone (pop. 12,000), a relatively late foundation, situated in a thriving agricultural area of fertile volcanic soil of which it is the commercial center. In Anzac Park is a large war memorial borne on three pillars. There are a number of fine old houses round the town. Westella (1886), 3km east on the Bass Highway, is now occupied by an art and antiques dealer. Lonah, on the old road to Penguin, was built in 1870 for a British general; it has fine old trees of European origin. There are excellent facilities for water sports and angling on the beaches to the east of the town and on the river and its estuary to the west.