North by north-west in Tasmania

Posted 18 August, 2026 Sasha Oelsner | This content is sponsored by Tasmanian Vacations

You’ve just rolled off the Spirit of Tasmania and arrived in the northern Tassie town of Devonport after a good night sleeping while crossing the Bass Strait… but now what?

As it turns out, Tasmania’s north and north-west regions are happy to keep the good times rolling before you set your course south, chasing waterfalls and eclectic art.

Devonport is the first port of call for travellers arriving by ferry from the mainland and there’s everything from chocolate factories to rare wildlife, heritage motors and glow worm caves all within easy cruising distance of the wharf.

Here are seven stops to add to your road trip ahead.

1. For the food lovers

A visit to Anvers chocolate factory is a must for chocoholics. Take a self-guided tour through the factory and museum, sample the world’s rarest chocolate, Fortunato No. 4, in the shop then grab a block (or three) to take home. Craving more? Settle in the cafe with a hot chocolate and chocolate platter for breakfast – we won’t tell.

You’ll be fit to burst sampling food from up to 40-plus artisanal producers along the northern Tasting Trail. Go snuffling for truffles at The Truffledore, wash them down with a Spreyton Cider and try some of the world’s freshest oysters at Tarkine.

2. For the heritage transport lovers

If SA’s own motoring museum in Birdwood is the full three-course feast, the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania in Launceston is the perfectly curated tasting menu. The museum’s collection spans a century of style and technical achievement, including one of the first Holdens to be shipped across the Bass Strait. Want more? The Ransley Veteran Car Collection in Wynyard, restored by local Francis Ransley, houses one of the oldest Fords in the world – the 1903 Model A.

Nostalgic for heritage rail? There’s plenty in northern Tasmania to help you blow off steam. Within an hour of Devonport, locomotives puff along the Don River Railway’s Melrose Line, while Pearns Steam World has the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest boiler room and more than 200 traction engines to satisfy any historic locomotive fix.

3. For the art and culture lovers

Nothing in Australia competes with Hobart’s Mona art museum, but the north has its own treasures. The Devonport Regional Gallery holds more than 100,000 photographic negatives from the famed Robinson Collection. After dark, Waterfront Park comes alive with From Sky to Sea – a sound-and-light installation best explored from every angle. For a more grassroots art experience, drive through the Kentish region, aptly named Tasmania’s Outdoor Art Gallery, and keep a look out for murals, topiary and the novelty letterbox trail.

For a deeper connection to place, tunapri Patuyala offers a hands-on cultural walk at Boat Harbour led by proud Palawa waypa man Jye Crosswell, covering traditional tidal fish traps and seasonal bush foods and craft. Or set your own pace along the Kooparoona Niara Cultural Trail on the banks of the Meander River, where native plants, artworks and a stone yarning circle invite you to sit a while.

4. For the animal lovers

Tasmania is a safe haven for some of Australia’s rarest wildlife. Encounter the endangered Tasmanian Devil up close during the chaotic after-dark feeding frenzy or joey encounter at Devils@Cradle, or wind down at Seahorse World to meet these gender-bending, mystical marine creatures alongside the critically endangered red handfish.

Between September and April, head to Lillico Beach in the evening to join volunteers at the Little Penguin Viewing platform and watch the tiny birds waddle home to their burrows after a long day’s fishing. It’s free, but donations are always appreciated.

5. For the adventure seekers

For an energy burn the whole family can enjoy, hire single, double, family and even wheelchair accessible and baby buggies from Pedal Buggies just outside Devonport. Pedal along the foreshore with an ice-cream and a swim stop built in.

Further afield at Cradle Mountain, join a kayak tour and glide across Dove Lake as the scenery rises breathtakingly around you. If you prefer dry land, (weather permitting), choose from walks ranging from a 10-minute rainforest stroll to multi-day hikes along the Overland Track, keeping an eye out for the elusive platypus along the way.

6. For nature lovers

Stand beside the Mersey Bluff Lighthouse and gaze across the Tasman. The clifftop walking tracks offer sweeping views and if you’re here of an evening, you might spot the Spirit of Tasmania beginning its return journey. The lighthouse reserve is a vibrant sanctuary for wildlife, birds and flora, and you’ll also find the Tiagarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre – one of Australia’s oldest Keeping Places, which is home to ancient rock art and carvings.

For something a little more subterranean, head underground on a Mole Creek Karst National Park cave tour. Peer into sparkling, reflective pools, listen to the music of the underground creeks and be delighted by the surprising blue pinpricks of the Glow Worm Caves.