Devonport is a city on the north coast of the state of Tasmania in Australia . The city, located near the mouth of the Mersey River , is the third largest on the island with around 23,000 inhabitants.
With ferry transfers, Devonport is literally the gateway to Tasmania
Although the Devonport area was explored by Captain Charles Hardwicke as early as 1825 , it took several decades for larger settlements to be established. It was not until the discovery of coal deposits around 1851 near what is now Latrobe that shipping traffic increased and the villages on both sides of the Mersey River emerged. Formby , now called West Devonport , on the west bank and Torquay , now called East Devonport , on the east bank was created at that time. After the construction of a railway line to Formby (1885) and the construction of the lighthouse (1889), Formby and Torquay were merged in 1890 to form Devonport, an English city of the same name. Around the city, most of Tasmania's vegetable growing is in numerous fields.
Eight kilometers from the city is an airport with connections to Melbourne and Sydney and to the Tasmanian island of King Island .
One of the city's attractions is the Tiagarra Aboriginal Cultural Center, which has a small museum dedicated to the history and culture of the Tasmanians . In the immediate vicinity of the museum there are some rock carvings of this extinct people and culture.
The Devonport Art Gallery exhibits works by local artists. Furthermore, the Tasmanian Arboretum is located in the city , an arboretum with rare trees and bushes. In the place is a statue of the only Australian Prime Minister from Tasmania, Joseph Lyons, and his grave.
