Touring Tasmania – Devonport to Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park (Photo: Tourism Tasmania and Geoff Murray)

Having headed back along the north coast of Tasmania, Devonport was a good place to stop for another night as there are a good many hotels here to choose from. We were ultimately heading towards Cradle Mountain but had heard about some interesting little towns along the way which we decided to visit after spending the night in Devonport.

Latrobe
The town of Latrobe is just 8 kilometres (5 miles) south east of Devonport. This part of Tasmania was first settled in 1861 and was named for Charles Joseph Latrobe, administrator of the colony of Tasmania. From a tourist’s point of view the best thing about Latrobe is the historic streets and interesting antique shops. One store which Latrobe is famous for is the House of Anvers where you can sample and buy delicious chocolate truffles, pralines and more, all made to authentic Belgian recipes.

Sheffield
Sheffield is best known for being ‘The Town of Murals’. When Sheffield was a town in decline, local Brian Inder had the idea of making it into a town of murals and Sheffield has since been thriving as the murals have become a popular Tasmanian tourist attraction.

There are over 30 murals to view around the town, each depicting periods in history or special occasions. Take a tour around the whole town to see them all as they are all great works of art. Also take time to admire the views of nearby Mount Roland.

Tasmazia
About 15 minutes drive from Sheffield is one of the area’s top tourist attractions. Again instigated by Brian Inder, Tasmazia is a fun attraction for all the family. The complex consists of a total of 8 mazes, making it the largest maze complex in the world!

The Great Maze is reputedly the largest maze in the world, whilst you can also enjoy a replica of the famous Hampton Court Palace Maze plus several others.

Also at Tasmazia is the ‘Village of Lower Crackpot’! This is a whimsical village, not a real one, and is built to a scale of 1/5th. The village is a lot of fun to view and interesting to boot! Other attractions at Tasmazia include the Pancake Parlour, a Lavender Farm, Gift Shop and more.

Cradle Mountain
About 40 minutes drive on from Tasmazia is Cradle Mountain. Cradle Valley has an assortment of accommodation to choose from. We were advised to spend a couple of nights at least in the area to be able to make the most of Cradle Mountain and all the great scenery around here.

There is some fantastic Cradle Mountain accommodation and Western Wilderness accommodation to suit every need.

‘Touring Tasmania – Devonport to Cradle Mountain’ – by Claire Bolgil