Tamar Valley – West, TAS

We left Devonport and were amazed how quickly the farm land appeared. Lots of sheep, hay bails and potatoes. It reminded us of Prince Edward Island in Canada. There are plenty of roadside stalls with fresh fruit (oh the yummy cherries!), vegetables and farm eggs.

Devonport Harbour

Devonport lighthouse

We arrived too late to see the poppy fields in full bloom. Poppy farming here once produced 50% of the worlds opium for pain relief medicines.

Beaconsfield has a gold mine history and there is an excellent heritage centre.

Miners Hut

We stopped at Beauty Point for lunch, but didn’t visit the famous platypus or seahorse attractions.

Continuing south we passed Batman Bridge, a huge cable stayed span over the Tamar River. Built in 1968 it was named after John Batman, founder of Melbourne and a Tasmania pioneer – not Gotham’s caped crusader

Found a good overnight spot at Gravelly Beach

Free parking

Gravelly Beach harbour.

One of Launcestons’ major attractions is Cataract Gorge. We loved the hike from the Basin carpark to Ducks Reach historic hydro power station – the first hydro station in Australia. There is a video presentation running and some some great facts on construction, flood damage and rebuilding of the station. Then an easy stroll down Cataract Walk to Kings Bridge. If you dont feel like a walk there is a scenic chairlift with the worlds largest span.