Devonport, Tasmania

Devonport ( DEV-ən-port; pirinilaplu/palawa kani: Limilinaturi) is a port city situated at the mouth of the Mersey River on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. Positioned 47 kilometres (29 mi) east of Burnie and 98 kilometres (61 mi) north of Launceston, it is the busiest freight port on the island, managing over half Tasmania's imports and exports. Devonport's supporting industries include agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism. The City of Devonport's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at $3.5b in 2023. Devonport's harbour is home to the Spirit of Tasmania's passenger terminal, facilitating roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ferry operations connecting mainland Australia and Tasmania. In the 2022–23 fiscal year, the Port of Devonport welcomed over 450,000 passengers. The completion of the $240m Quaylink project is expected to increase this capacity by an additional 160,000 passengers annually. Devonport was established in 1893 through the amalgamation of the 1850s settlements of Torquay on the east bank and Formby on the west bank of the Mersey River. The township became a municipality in 1907 and was designated a city by Prince Charles on 21 April 1981. With an urban population of 26,150 at the 2021 Australian census, Devonport is Tasmania's third-largest city, encompassing a total of 48,293 residents living within the greater statistical area. Despite its relatively small size, Devonport has been foundational for many innovative industries that grew to be nationally-significant, such as the Finlayson family foundry, who engineered what is believed to be the first steam car in the Southern Hemisphere. Similarly, family members of shipping company Holyman & Sons established the first airline connecting Bass Strait in 1934 as Holyman Airways, which eventually evolved into Australian National Airways and subsequently merged with Ansett. Devonport also holds a place in Australian political history as the home town of both Joseph Lyons, the tenth Prime Minister...