Car Rental Devonport Airport

If you’re keen to experience the wilderness, fresh air and tasty fare of Northern Tasmania, you couldn’t have landed in a better place than Devonport Airport. Grab your hire car and point your wheels in any direction and you’re onto a winner. And we’re not talking major distances either. A leisurely coastal drive along the beautiful shores of Bass Strait and inland into the countryside will introduce you to unspoilt beaches, villages, farm gates, wineries, and more natural beauty than you could imagine. All moments away, or within a two-hour radius. 

Tassie – as Australia’s southern island state is commonly called – is a pint-sized destination of treasures. Some are spectacularly epic and remote, like the glacier-carved Walls of Jerusalem. An extreme challenge to tempt the most serious of hikers! Some are low-key and quirky, like Pyengana’s iconic Pub in the Paddock. One of the oldest drinking establishments in Tasmania, this pub with a beer-swilling pig has been serving booze and hearty meals in the middle of a paddock since 1880.

Closer to base, make your way from Devonport and you’ll see rolling hills, rivers and ocean views. Ride alongside fields of dairy cows, flowers, grain, vineyards and vegetable crops. Discover pretty seaside towns like Penguin and Ulverstone, less than 30-minutes to the west. The first is named for its colony of little (fairy) penguins, while the other is known for Leven Canyon. Explore this mighty deep limestone ravine that comes with giant cliffs, pygmy possums and waterfalls. Make a day of it and take a scenic Leven River cruise.

Quaint Deloraine, on the charmingly named Meander River, is Tasmania’s largest inland town. Stroll through historic streetscapes preserved by the National Trust. And if you’re big on arts and crafts, pay a visit in November when the town explodes with makers, yarn spinners and crafty sorts. Set yourself up in welcoming Devonport (only 10-minutes from the airport) to enjoy a diverse range of experiences. The gateway to Tasmania’s North will deliver a family vacation full of  memorable attractions. 

Experience the natural beauty of Tasmania’s north in your hire car

Australia is famous for its amazing animals, with many visitors touring zoos, ranges and tourist theme parks to see our furry inhabitants. In Northern Tasmania, natural havens like secluded Narawntapu National Park provide unique environments for wildlife away from the crowds. Spot kangaroos, quolls, pademelons, echidnas, wombats and wallabies in their native habitat. Hear the blood-curdling growl of the Tasmanian devil. Catch a glimpse of the shy platypus in rivers and inlets. Look out for flocks of parrots and wedge-tailed eagles. Stroll lagoons, beaches, sand dunes and wetlands. Ride the park on horseback. Swim and fish with the water birds and waders. Camp the weekend and take the nine-hour coastal trail. Walk the expanse from Greens Beach to Bakers Beach and you’ll experience the whole shebang. Stroll the ranges, rocky headlands and soft, sandy shores. Narawntapu promises a relaxing adventure, so let your horizons widen.

If you can’t get enough of the northern beaches of Bass Strait, steer towards Bridport, two hours from Devonport. This popular holiday spot offers a dazzle of blue waters and colourful cafes, abundant birdlife, and summertime wildflowers that make for a very pretty picture. Bushland walks from Anderson Bay and world-class golf courses are another Bridport specialty. Swing through sand dunes and be swept away by dramatic views. And if you can’t get enough of those blooms, head inland to Bridestowe Lavender Estate for insta-worthy purple fields all year round, plus wildflowers popping up throughout the hottest months.

Your hire car will help you explore the jewel of Northern Tassie

While Tassie is filled with handfuls of gems, the crowning jewel in the state’s north is the breathtaking World Heritage Wilderness of Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair National Park. Take a 90-minute drive south from Devonport Airport and you’ll soon be deep in alpine landscapes and dense rainforests, surrounded by mountain streams, and lakes so clear they mirror the sky. To wind things down a gear, and enjoy the scenery along the way, the Cradle Mountain Day Drive is a great bet. Follow the road from the dairy farmlands around Sheffield down to Mole Creek. Explore its magical caves before you reach your destination around the top of the National Park. 

Start Cradle Mountain slowly with either the Enchanted Walk or Weindorfers Forest Walk, both 20-minutes long. If you’re hoping to immerse in the wilds a little longer, rev it up on the Overland Track – a six-day trek that’s famous the world over. A demanding hike, you’ll be covering 65 kilometres of pristine terrain, including grasslands, waterfalls, ice-carved valleys, eucalypt forests and mountain summits. Before you leave, rest up at a cute spot at the bottom of Lake St Clair. Derwent Bridge is a rustic town boasting the best trout fishing in Tasmania and snowy chalets surrounded by ghost gums. Devonport Airport will absolutely transport you to a wilderness vacation of a lifetime.