EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

The industrial port of DEVONPORT , which in 1959 replaced Launceston as the terminal of the Bass Strait ferry , the Spirit of Tasmania , is not the most inspiring first point of contact with Tasmania. As the ship makes its slow progress up the Mersey River, you might almost think you're arriving at a 1950s English seaport, but for the tin-roofed weatherboard bungalows, the brittle quality of the light, the bush-covered hills to the east and a McDonald's on the waterfront. As a jumping-off point for Cradle Mountain, the Overland Track and the rugged west coast, Devonport has developed a significant tourism infrastructure - car-rental companies, bus companies, camping stores and backpacking information - and though it's hardly a destination in itself, it makes a good base for trips into the surrounding countryside.