NorthWest

North Western Tasmania is an ever changing landscape. Its rust-red soils, reliable rainfall and warm summer temperatures make it one of the most productive and picturesque agricultural regions in Australia. Within hours of arriving in our corner of Tasmania you’ll be planning your return, but next time with the days to do it justice. West North West Tasmania is not a place for quickly passing through – its great appeal is what lies in between.

West North West Tasmania draws you in and holds you here, to experience all that’s friendly, fresh and rare. Farm style bed and breakfasts in the cottages and homes of country families keen to share the special places at their door. Fresh seafood at the jetty, fruit and vegetables at the gate, local wines and cheeses sold across the world. Served in style at wilderness lodges or packed into a hamper for a day of highland fishing, when you cast your urban deadlines to the wind.

With a backpack or in luxury, on your own or with a tour, the only limit is the time you have to spend. Time to give the kids a break, to leave the car and look around the parks and public gardens along the way. Or linger until dusk and see the fairy penguins toddle to their burrows on the shore.

Time to explore beyond the highway to galleries and workshops to buy Tasmania’s finest arts and crafts and talk with the creators. Time to take a wilderness flight, to cruise the Gordon River or follow trails that lead from Cradle Mountain to Lake St.Clair and to places that will take your breath away.

Circular Head

One of the most famous attractions of the North West Coast is The Nut – a rocky formation rising 152 metres from the sea. On a clear day, the view from the top of The Nut extends to Devonport and to the outer islands of the Far North West. Sheltering in its lee is the fishing village of Stanley (Circa 1826), where a blend of heritage and crafts maintain the character of the region’s earliest settlement.

Further west are magnificent native forests, rivers and wild beaches that are a natural playground for recreational users through the seasons.

Take a guided coach tour of Woolnorth on the far North Western tip, or drive down to the Arthur and Pieman Rivers. Guided four-wheel drive tours are available at these locations.

Burnie

For more than 60 years a paper town, Burnie’s industrial heritage dominates the city’s eastern entrance, sustaining Australia’s fifth largest container port and the regional economy. In the curve of Emu Bay, the mill known simply as ‘The Pulp’, once employed 3,500 people. But Burnie’s history and character extend beyond the mill to embrace a city known for culture, sport and beautiful gardens.

Local musical productions share the stage with visiting performers and the Regional Art Gallery exhibits work from around the nation. In and around the city are public and private gardens that blaze with colour through the seasons; on the outskirts, Annsleigh Gardens and the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden. A natural amphitheatre of 13 hectares, more than 9,000 plants line the paths and surround the lakes in a superb display of wild and hybrid rhododendrons.

Burnie’s busy shopping district leads directly to a board walk on the beach, but once a year is jammed with competition: The Burnie Ten Footrace, among the richest in the nation, draws hundreds of athletes and crowds of spectators every year. But the ‘milk run’ that ends in Burnie at the Lactos Cheese Factory, has attracted even greater recognition, with some of the finest cheeses tasted at the door, and sold throughout the world.

An historical note:
Burnie was settled before Melbourne in 1828. The Burnie Inn was licensed in 1847 and is the city’s oldest standing building

Devonport

Let your fingers trace their 10,000 year history in the nearby circular stone carvings on The Bluff. Every hour or so a whistle blows and just minutes from the city centre the old Don River trains prepare to run again. And over the back fence of this beautiful port city are the rich, rust soils of farmlands that, depending on the season, dress the coast in shades of green and red.

Cradle Mountain

regions2 Jewel of Tasmania’s World Heritage Area, this magnificent national park is a wonderland of high peaks, spectacular glaciated landscapes and alpine flora. To reach Cradle Valley at the northern end of the park, travel 85 km south of Devonport via Sheffield, where murals on the town’s buildings tell stories of the district. Take the B13 to Sheffield, then the C136. All routes are clearly signed.

The visitor centre at the park entrance has an extensive interpretive display and on-site rangers to give you weather, camping and walks information. Waldheim, at the northern end of the park, is the starting point for a number of superb short walks, including several of Tasmania’s Great Short Walks. Waldheim is also the start (or end point) of the multi-day Overland Track to Lake St Clair one of Tasmania’s – and the world’s – Great Bushwalks. Accommodation options in Cradle Valley range from a campground with excellent facilities to comfortable wilderness lodges.

Limestone Caves

caves In the limestone country of North-West Tasmania, spectacular and extensive underground formations are protected in the Mole Creek Karst National Park. Guided tours operate in two of the most dramatic systems, Marakoopa and King Solomons Caves, and there are adventure caving tours in other systems.

Take the B12, 23 km from Deloraine to the township of Mole Creek, where you can check for tour times in the caves. Marakoopa Cave is about 10 km from Mole Creek, and King Solomons Cave a further 8 km. After an underground excursion, take time to explore higher towards the edge of the Great Western Tiers – follow the C138 and C171 for 20 km to reach Devils Gullet State Reserve, a scenic vantage point with views across cliffs, gorges, lakes and waterfalls

Lake Barrington

To return, either retrace your route to Deloraine, or take an interesting variant, staying on the C138 and climbing the flanks of Mt Roland to Sheffield. In this area are the Hydro lakes Rowallan, Parangana, Cethana and Barrington, all with good prospects for anglers. Twenty km long Lake Barrington is the site of an international rowing course, with good picnic and barbecue facilities on the shores of the lake. The high concrete arch of the Devils Gate dam is well worth a visit.

Asbestos Ranges

ranges From Devonport on the coast, wildlife watchers should turn east via the Frankford Highway (B72) to visit the Asbestos Range National Park. Plentiful wildlife and rare coastal flora are the highlights here – look for the informative interpretation signs in the Springlawn (Bakers Beach) area. Take a torch on a quiet walk from your campsite in the evening – you’ll be joined by wombats, wallabies and brush-tailed possums. Bird watching, beach walking and fishing are also popular activities.

Beaches & Caves

caves2 Westward from Devonport, the Bass Highway (A1) passes Lillico Beach State Reserve six km west of the city. Wait quietly on dusk and you may see penguins returning to their rookery. Just before the coastal town of Ulverstone is the turn-off (B17) to the Gunns Plains Cave State Reserve, 35 km south of the highway. Glow worms, platypus and freshwater lobsters live in the cave system and tours are available. Retrace your route to the coast, or return via the B17 to visit the streams, forests and scenic views of the Dial Range.

Coastline

Follow the A1 west (the scenic coastal route from Ulverstone to Penguin is recommended) to Burnie. Just west of the city, the Fern Glade is a quiet, green haven of forest flora and birdlife, with good picnic and barbecue facilities and pleasant short walks. Move quietly – there’s a good chance of seeing a platypus in the stream. Further west is Wynyard, and the fascinating Fossil Bluff, where scientists have unearthed the fossilised jawbones of ancient mammals. Six km south of Wynyard is Oldina Picnic Area, set in a pine forest and a good spot for a rest or picnic.

Now the highway passes through rich dairylands and croplands before meeting the coast again at Rocky Cape National Park, 30 km west of Wynyard. Rocky Cape features scenic sea cliffs, beach walking, birdlife, coastal flora, climbing, boating, fishing and diving. Interpretation panels explain the unique habitat and history of the region. Thirty-five km west is the distinctive headland of Circular Head and The Nut, with the historic and picturesque village of Stanley nestling at its foot. Shearwaters, penguins, kestrels and falcons nest among the foothills and cliffs fringing The Nut, and broad sandy beaches stretch away on both sides. To reach the summit you can take the track or ride the chairlift to enjoy wide views along the coast.

Overlooking Stanley is the Highfield Historic Site, built during the 1830s by the Van Diemen’s Land Company, which developed and settled much of the north-west. Interpretation signs and guided tours explain the heritage of this important site.
Tall Forests