Tasmania's largest industrial centre is Devonport, which is situated at the mouth of the river Mersey. The place is located at a distance of 278 kms to the north-west of Hobart. The city has been named after a coastal town in Devon, England. It was previously known as Port Frederick. The aboriginals killed the first Europeans in the area in 1829. This happened three years after the establishment of the first settlement. A terminal for vehicular ferries from Melbourne was established in 1959 and Devonport is as yet, the Ferry port.
This place has been a perfect base for exploring Northern Tasmania and is a major tourist attraction. The tourists can be well impressed by the peaceful and well kept appearance of such a busy town. The narrow roads are framed by hedgerows and the color of the surrounding countryside after rain is moss green against the brownish landscape. Since, the place is a renowned industrial area; multiple industries are housed into the surrounding hillsides. Devonport offers cultural and leisure activities with beautiful beaches close by.
The place houses the maritime museum, Early Motoring and Folk museum, the Tiagarra Aboriginal Cultural and Art Centre. The original railway named the Don River tourist railway, installed to haul limestone has now been modified for tourists.
