Devonport, Tasmania

**Devonport** is a city in northern Tasmania, Australia. It is at the mouth of the Mersey River. In 2016 there were 23,046 people living in Devonport.

; Rail

A rail line still services the ports area of Devonport.
The roundhouse and railway maintenance yards on the foreshore of the Mersey River have gone, and there is a park on the site.

; Passenger Ferry Terminal

Devonport is the southern terminus for the *Spirit of Tasmania* ferries – Spirit I and II travel the 11 hours to Melbourne.

**Melbourne – Devonport Passenger Ferry History**

## Agriculture 
The Devonport area has rich red soils that are ideal for producing vegetable crops (beans, onions, peas, potatoes etc.) There are also large crops of cereals, oil poppies, and pyrethrum. 

## Education 
### Primary schools 
* Hillcrest Primary School
* Devonport Primary School
* Miandetta Primary School
* East Devonport Primary School
* Nixon Street Primary School
* Spreyton Primary School
* Devonport Christian School
* Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School

### Secondary schools 
* Devonport High School 
* Reece High School
* St Brendan-Shaw College

### Senior secondary education (Years 11–12) 
* Don College
* St Brendan-Shaw College

A TasTAFE campus, an adult training institution, is in Valley Road.

## Geography 
### Climate 
Devonport has an warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification **Csb**), bordering on an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification **Cfb**). It has mild to warm summers, cool and moist winters. It has high humidity (about 70%) all year round. Most days from January to March are pleasantly warm, averaging  with frequent sunshine. The warmest and driest days can reach up to . Unlike the south and east coasts of Tasmania, humid northerly winds prevent heatwaves and temperatures rarely go above . Winters are cool and cloudy with frequent light rain; July and August are the wettest months of the year. In winter, because of the constant cloud cover and effect of the sea, winter temperatures rarely drop below  or rise above . September to December has mild and windy weather with frequent showers, and occasional warm, sunny breaks. 

## Sport 
### Australian rules football 
The Devonport Football Club, Magpies, is an Australian rules football team in the Tasmanian Statewide League. Their home ground is the Devonport Oval. 

The East Devonport Football Club, the Swans, is an Australian Rules Football Club, in the North West Football League.

Devon Netball is in Spreyton, just outside Devonport. it is the main centre for netball in the Devonport area. 

### Rugby union 
The Devonport Rugby Club, a Rugby Union team, plays in the Tasmanian Rugby Union.

Devonport City Football Club an Association Football club that plays in the National Premier Leagues Tasmania.

### Athletics, cycling and woodchopping 
The Devonport Athletic Club is a professional athletic club. It hosts part of the Tasmanian Cycling Christmas Carnival Series each year in December, with local and international cyclists. Other sports at the carnivals include athletics and woodchopping. Woodchopping events are also held at the Devonport Agricultural & Pastoral Society Spring Show in November.

The Mersey Valley Devonport Cycling Club host track cycling, the Mersey Valley Tour, Devon 80 Road Race and the Ulverstone Criterium.

### Cricket 
Devonport Cricket Club is a cricket team in the North Western Tasmanian Cricket Association.

### Hockey 
Devonport Hockey teams play in the North and North West Hockey roster of Hockey Tasmania.

### Basketball 
Devonport Warriors are a basketball team in the North West Basketball Union.

### Golf 
The Devonport Golf Club has been home to the Tasmanian Open and Tasmanian Seniors Open.

### Harness racing and horse racing 
The Devonport Harness Racing Club holds harness racing events at the Devonport Showgrounds.

The Devonport Cup a horse race is held annually in January at the Spreyton racecourse. There is a gazetted local holiday for the event.

### Power boats 
Power Boat racing takes place at the Devonport Annual Regatta held each March long weekend. The Regatta was first held in 1958.

### Swimming and aquatic sports 
The Splash Devonport Aquatic and Leisure Centre has a world class gym and indoor swimming pool and is based within the Don Reserve.

### Tennis 
The Devonport Tennis Club and East Devonport Tennis Club play in the Tennis North West Association.

### Futsal 
The Devonport recreation centre hosts weekly futsal games where notable players such as Callan Rigby and Liam Everett ferociously play.

## Notable sportspeople 
* David Foster (woodchopper)
* Nita Burke (basketball)
* Corey Cadby (darts player)
* Owen Kelly (NASCAR and V8 Supercar driver)

### VFL/AFL players 
Notable players that went on to play in the VFL/AFL:

* Darrel Baldock (St Kilda)
* Graham Wright (Collingwood)
* Grant Birchall (Hawthorn)
* Brady Rawlings (North Melbourne)
* Jade Rawlings (Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne)
* Matthew Richardson (Richmond)
* Ben Harrison (Carlton, Richmond, Western Bulldogs)
* Dion Scott (Sydney, Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions)
* Matthew Febey (Melbourne)
* Joel Rossegger (Victoria)
* Steven Febey (Melbourne)

## Notable people 
* Joseph Lyons – Prime Minister of Australia 1932–1939 Premier of Tasmania 1923–1928
* Dame Enid Lyons
* Prema Smith - movie director and producer

## References