Devonport (Australia) Travel Guide

Introduction

T Back beach sunset Devonport

© Breezy13

Devonport is a city of 25,000 inhabitants in northwest Tasmania, best known for being the port for the Spirit of Tasmania ferries. It is the primary entry point into Tasmania for travellers from Melbourne who want to take their own car, or simply prefer the boat trip to the flight.

Sights and Activities

• Devonport Regional Gallery highlights works by Tasmanian artists. 45-47 Stewart Street. Ph: 6424 8296.
• The Devonport Maritime Museum & Historical Society has a collection of detailed models of ships throughout maritime history. 6 Gloucester Ave. Ph: 6424 7100.
• Home Hill is a National Trust property built in 1916. On display are many historic mementos of Joseph Lyons, the only Prime Minister to come from Tasmania. 77 Middle Rd. Ph: 6424 3028.
• The Imaginarium Science Centre provides young and old an opportunity to learn about science. 23 Macfie Street. Ph: 6423 1466
• The Tiagarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre highlights aboriginal rock engravings and has a selection of dioramas portraying Tasmanian Aboriginal life. It can be found at Mersey Bluff. Ph: 6424 8250.

Events and Festivals

• The Devonport Farmers Market is held on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month at the Devonport Showgrounds.
• Targa Tasmania, an around-the-state car rally, comes through Devonport each year. Check the date on the Targa website.
• Outdoor Music Festivals are popluar throughout Australia - read about those festivals in and around Devonport: Outdoor Music Festivals in Tasmania

Getting There

By Plane

Devonport Airport (DPO) serves flights to and from Melbourne, King Island and Hobart, with the following airlines:

• Qantaslink (Melbourne)
• TasAir (King Island, Hobart)

By Boat

0218SpiritLeaving

© cssc

Devonport is the port for the Spirit of Tasmania ferries, which run most days between Melbourne and Devonport. One-way adult fares start at $114 (off-peak season) and can reach up to $354 for deluxe cabins. If you want to take a car on the ferry, you must pay an extra fee for you car, which is $61 for small cars.

See the current fares at the Spirit of Tasmania website.

Getting Around

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés are very common in the larger Australian cities and popular tourist destinations. However, once you leave the major population centres, you might have trouble finding somewhere to log on. Free wifi is getting more and more common (either with or without a code) in places like restaurants, some bars and coffee places and hotels. Sometimes a fee is required.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Australia is on a GSM 900/1800 network, so if you have an unlocked phone that works on those frequencies, you will be able to buy a prepaid SIM-card and stick into your phone when you're in Australia. You will receive a new Australian phone number with the SIM-card.

To dial out of Australia use the prefix 0011, followed by the calling code of the country you are trying to reach, followed by the area code of the city/town (without the 0!) and finally the phone number.

Within Australia, it is necessary to add an area code to the phone numbers if you are calling from outside the area. Below are Australia's area codes:

• 02 - New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory (Sydney, Canberra)
• 03 - Victoria & Tasmania (Melbourne, Hobart)
• 07 - Queensland (Brisbane)
• 08 - Western Australia, South Australia & Northern Territory (Perth, Adelaide, Darwin)

000 is the emergency telephone number in Australia, but the international GSM mobile emergency telephone number 112 also works on mobile phones.

Post

Australia Post is the government's postal service. Most suburbs will have at least one post office. Opening times are mostly from around 8:00 or 9:00am to 5:00pm though larger ones keep longer hours sometimes. A standard letter or postcard sent within Australia will cost $0.60. Internationally, it costs $1.70 to send postcards anywhere in the world. Letters cost $1.85 to send within the Asia Pacific region and $2.60 to anywhere else in the world.^[1]. It is also possible to send things as parcels or by express mail. You can also use use private courier companies like TNT, UPS or DHL as they are competitive and reliable.