Six reasons why you should head North-West for your next escape
Everywhere we turned in this coastal city we were greeted with pleasing vistas dripping with the colours, symmetry and charming eccentricities – all of which would make the perfect location for a Wes Anderson movie, writes Alix Davis
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If iconic cinema director Wes Anderson needs to scout for locations in Tasmania, he should start in Devonport. Which is surprisingly, and I’m sure, accidentally, very Wes Anderson.
Everywhere we turned in this North-West city of 27,000 people we were greeted with pleasing vistas dripping with the colours, symmetry and charming quirkiness for which he is known and that has spawned a popular Instagram account, a best-selling book and a global exhibition. If you haven’t visited Devonport recently, here are six wonderful reasons you should.
1.THE DON RIVER RAILWAY
With its immaculately restored rolling stock painted in bright, glossy colours the Don River Railway is just waiting for a film or fashion shoot to arrive. A wander through a first class suburban carriage – with leather seats, brass light fittings and a popped-top carriage-length window makes me lament the state of modern public transport. The railway began as a tramway for a local timber mill in 1854 and was expanded and extended until it eventually became obsolete and ceased operations in 1963. Now run by volunteers, and celebrating its 50th birthday this year, the railway runs trips to the mouth of the Don River at Coles Beach – our trip was in a cute-as-a-button red and yellow carriage that came to Tasmania in 1944 – its sister carriages can be found in Hobart and at the West Coast Railway.
2. HOME HILL
If you’re not a fan of wallpaper, you will be after a visit to Home Hill – the National Trust property that was home to Australia’s only Tasmanian prime minister, Sir Joseph Lyons and his wife, Australia’s first female Federal MP, Dame Enid Lyons. This incredible home (and its many, many wallpapers) housed the Lyons and their huge clan of 11 children during a period of incredible influence on Australian and world politics. The Lyons attended King George V’s Jubilee in 1935, met with Mussolini before the war, attended George VI’s coronation in 1937 and worked with Neville Chamberlain on his failed peace agreement with Hitler. Take a tour and learn about this incredible couple – Dame Enid outlived her husband by 42 years, continuing to make great contributions to Australian life and I can’t believe there hasn’t been a miniseries made about her yet. The original wallpapers add an undeniable Wes Anderson vibe to the house.
3. THE LIGHTHOUSE AND BEACH
The Mersey Bluff Lighthouse – an easy walk from the CBD along the paved and level foreshore track – is one of the few lighthouses in the world to be painted with vertical, rather than horizontal stripes. Lighthouses are very Wes Anderson and this rare vertical paint job – designed to make it easily distinguishable during the day – really sets it apart. Take a dip at Bluff Beach on your way there or back, here, the waters of Bass Strait are clear and temperate. As a bonus, the free beach showers have hot water or really relax into it with a sauna session in Savu Sauna. Drift Cafe at the surf club does an excellent post-swim coffee and muffin, or stay for brunch or lunch.
4. FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD
Musk stick-pink walls and a bright red countertop give laneway wine bar Pam’s Bottles and Cups a distinctly 80s vibe, but don’t be fooled. This tiny diner is serving up some of the best food I’ve eaten in a while – all from a kitchen smaller than most home laundries. Chef/owner Denni Elyse honed her cheffing skills in fine diners and Adelaide’s highly regarded Africola before coming home to Devonport to do her own thing. There’s no menu, just a $55 “feed me” option and I highly recommend taking it. Ingredients from her partner’s garden and those of local friends are used to create dishes with a Middle Eastern vibe and a Tasmanian flair. Highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic sommelier Mitchell Berwick is on hand to talk and recommend drinks and you’d do well to heed his advice.
Housed in a much larger space – with an unobstructed view of Bass Strait that can certainly conjure up some Wes Anderson-esque vibes – is Mrs Jones. The menu has a modern Australian angle, offering wontons, dumplings and rice paper rolls, while substantial mains have hints of Asia and the Middle East. Friendly staff manage the large space with deftness and aplomb.
5. A PLACE TO REST YOUR HEAD
A spacious room at the buzzing Novotel, right in the centre of town, was the ideal base for our Devonport visit.
The fact that it had a gunbarrel views of the port – giving us an up close look at the cheery red and white stripes of the Spirit of Tasmania as it came and went – was an added bonus. The in-house Asian restaurant Mr Good Guy, transforms into a generous breakfast buffet each morning and the staff were always on hand to assist – yes, even when I had an issue at 5am one morning.
The author was hosted by Tourism Tasmania
BEYOND THE CITY
Use a stay in Devonport as an opportunity to discover the Tasting Trail – more than 40 producers based in the fertile North-West.
Offering everything from honey to whisky, berries, beer and more, the Tasting Trail is a celebration of the diversity and ingenuity of the region’s producers from Perth to Smithton. While the Tasting Trail is available throughout the year, Trail Graze (April 11-13) is a weekend of special events and a chance to connect with the people and stories behind this part of Tasmania’s world-class produce.
DON’T MISS
Quirky homewares at Mr Wolf or a cheeky cocktail in the eccentric back room at The Tasmania Shop.
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