Devonport

When you head south west from the northern port town of Devonport. Devonport sits on the banks of the Mersey River and is Tasmania's third largest city.

Here you enter a landscape bordered to the south and west by jagged mountains, chocolate brown soil and rolling green hills dotted with herds of Friesen dairy cows, and Bass Strait with its picturesque seaside towns to the north. For those travelling on the Spirit of Tasmania, Devonport is your gateway to the Island.

In Devonport 'The Bluff' is a beautiful curving beach popular with locals and holidaying visitors. Mersey River is also ideal for rowing and sailing.

The region is known for potato and onion growing, creamy milk and cheese, quirky place names such as Promised Land, Paradise, Penguin and the Walls of Jerusalem.

It is also a landscape of towering Eucalypt forests, looming mountains and deep ancient caves that honeycomb the foothills beside the Great Western Tiers. Some believe the Tasmanian Tiger still roams the area.

From the city of Devonport to the rugged country towards Cradle Mountain, this is a region of interest and variety - charming towns and historic buildings, beaches, forests and craggy peaks, fine flavours, fertile farmland and friendly people.