Scenic Drive Devonport Area, Tasmania

Our very last scenic drive in Tasmania was around the Devonport area.  We winged it a for lot of the day, but ended up doing a very large circle that took us first to Port Sorrell where we surprisingly found a large sandy beachfront on the Rubicon Estuary.  Many people were enjoying the calm waters on their paddle boards and kayaks.  The caravan park is situated right on the beachfront at Port Sorrell and if we were to ever return to Tasmania, this is a place we would stay.  While we were enjoying the views out over the water, right behind us a man was digging a hole in the sand that you could bury a car in!  Don't know why..

Port Sorrell is to the east of Devonport so that when we left here we turned the vehicle in a southerly direction towards the town of Westbury.  It is around 50km from Port Sorrell to Westbury and for 49 of those 50kms we were in forestry country.  I have read that 70% of Tasmania is timbered and if it isn't a forestry project it is national park.  Tasmanian's are very proud of this fun fact.  When we reached Westbury we headed a little to the west to reach Deloraine.  This is a lovely town and it is teeming with visitors roaming up and down both sides of the Main Street.  Every shop is busy with customers and it is pleasing to see so many people out and about.....many more people than we have seen anywhere else in Tasmania.

From Deloraine we head west towards Mole Creek.  Just before we head into Mole Creek we turn-off to go to the Alum Cliffs Lookout that we have read has some spectacular views over Mole Creek and the surrounding gorge.  It is only 800m into the lookout but quite a strenuous uphill walk.  The views from the lookout were pretty spectacular so it was well worth the effort. 

It is almost midday by the time we get back to the car but we decide to drive on to Sheffield for lunch.  Sheffield is the "mural town" of Tasmania so it will be good to walk around the town after a filling lunch.  We chose what seemed to be a decent cafe for our lunch stop and quickly chose the Seafood Pot Pie and Mixed Meat Pot Pie from the specials menu.  When Philip ordered our meal there were a few people in front of him and the lady that served Philip said that the meal might take awhile.  One hour and ten minutes later our meals were finally brought to the table.  It was a terribly long wait by any stretch of the imagination.  Maybe they had to catch the seafood for my pie before they could cook it :-)  and to make matters worse, the pies that were placed in front of us were less than spectacular (8 chips!) but isn't it amazing how a sprinkle of parsley can make it look better 😂😂😂

After our meal we wandered around Sheffield that is as lovely as we remembered.  It seems like every available blank wall in Sheffield has a mural painted on it and it has certainly given Sheffield a well deserved reputation.

So tomorrow is our last day in Tasmania.  We board the Spirit at 6.30pm for a night sailing that will have us arriving into Geelong around 5.30am.  Even though I have our site booked in Geelong from midday tomorrow, we will probably wait for a decent hour to check into the caravan park.  Well, at least until the sun is up!