Public listings checked 25/10/2026. Dates use each event’s local time. Check organiser details before travelling.
Explore the region
Explore selected North West Tasmanian coastal towns. Devonport, Burnie and Stanley are separate bases with substantial driving between them, not one urban area.
Listings across Burnie, Devonport, Latrobe, Penguin, Stanley, Ulverstone, Wynyard.
Attractions and places to visit
49 places in this selection. Opening hours, access and admission vary; check the place details.
For those interested in heritage, this web-based trail offers a complete and detailed account of Heritage Tasmania's listing of 26 sites. Rack cards promoting the trail are available at the Information Centre or you can simply access the Penguin Heritage Trail online.
The site includes all original Heritage Tasmania's listing documents as well as a wide variety of tourist attractions in and around Penguin.
For those keen to explore the foreshore and CBD, it is suggested you download the 'Ambling among Penguin's charms' app covering 28 of the attractions including many of the heritage listings. A storytelling self-guided audio walking tour told by locals. Its QR code plaques are scattered around the CBD.
Voices in the wind, the stunning sunrise views over the Bass Strait, welcome to the heritage-listed Penguin General Cemetery, located along Main Street a kilometre west of the Post Office. At rest here are Bounty immigrants from the 1850s, returned soldiers from as far back as the Boer War, many of Penguin's former notables, as well as the odd ex-convict.
Penguin General Cemetery dates from the 1860s; closing in 1977 it was heritage-listed in 2007 leaving behind many a Penguin General Cemetery mystery. Where will these stories take you? Who is the 'John Doe', buried 7 January 1915? Could he be Jeremiah or Michael Clifford, an Irishman in his 40s? The search for his identity continues.
Penguin General Cemetery has more than eighteen hundred burials. Burial records for which there were no bodies, burials for which the locations have been misplaced. Honouring bygone lives ensures the survival of the community's heritage. Dignifying seven early 1900 pioneers, with individual gravestones, typifies Penguin community's respect for its heritage.
Yet more can be done. In passing, every person leaves footprints, their stories to be found and voiced. A treasure-trove of history, information and lives gone await the curious, with much research readily available.
In the late 1800s, various high value minerals were found in the area surrounding Penguin. This soon led to mining leases across this part of the coast and into what is now Ferndene State Reserve.
Today, Ferndene provides a beautiful picnic area and the opportunity to explore the mining history in this area. Follow this enchanting short walk through the towering tree ferns and meandering creeks until you reach Brownings and Thorsbys Tunnels. These tunnels were used to mine a variety of minerals including silver and copper. Viability of the operations was questioned and eventually the operations ceased.
While walking, enjoy the sound of the burbling creek below you and watch the woodland birds flitting through the trees. You may be lucky and see a wallaby hiding amongst the ferns in the dappled sunlight.
The track climbs approximately 30m elevation over a distance of 750m.
Don River Railway offers an unforgettable journey into Tasmania's rich rail heritage. Climb aboard a vintage train and enjoy a scenic ride along the Don River to Coles Beach, surrounded by tranquil bushland and historic rail corridors.
Explore the on-site museum, home to Tasmania's largest collection of heritage steam and diesel locomotives, carriages, and rolling stock. Visitors can also see restoration workshops and original signal boxes in action.
With regular daily services and a variety of trains and carriages on offer the potential to see differing historic Tasmanian Rail history in action is unparalleled.
Corporate and Tour organisations can also book a variety of tailored on-rail experiences individualised to suit all sizes of groups.
Don River Railway is a not-for-profit organisation owned and operated by members and volunteers and was established at Don in 1973 while the trains commenced operating in November 1976. Their achievements are the result of countless thousands of hours of voluntary labour provided by members.
The Tasmanian Arboretum is a 66-hectare botanical tree park and nature reserve in Tasmania's North West. A great place to enjoy the trees of the temperate world, wildlife, including platypus (we are the best place in Australia to view them in the wild), and native birds, with over 80 species recorded. Come for a few hours or the whole day to explore and relax.
Only 12 kilometres from Devonport and a short drive to Sheffield, the town of murals. The Arboretum is situated in a peaceful and beautiful valley, offering picnic shelters, two of which feature coin-operated electric barbecues, as well as a platypus observatory and bird hide on the shores of Founders' Lake.
Cultural and natural heritage combine in the Limestone Heritage Walk, a self-guided walk linking the geology with a century of human activity contributing to colonial and national development. Guided walks are available for a reasonable cost and can be booked online. Bookings are essential.
They are open every day of the year - 9:00 am to 8:00 pm during daylight saving and 9:00 am to 5:00 pm the rest of the year.
Bass & Burl Collective is a vibrant makers' collective in the heart of Devonport, bringing together over 40 talented Tasmanian artisans under one roof. Discover an ever-changing collection of handcrafted treasures, from jewellery, pottery and homewares to artwork, candles, timber creations, leather goods, textiles, clothing, gifts and gourmet treats.
Every purchase directly supports local makers, with each item thoughtfully designed and handmade with care. Whether you're searching for a unique souvenir, the perfect gift, or something special for your home, you'll find one-of-a-kind creations you won't see in chain stores.
With new stock arriving regularly, no two visits are ever the same. Find the stories behind the makers, celebrate Tasmanian creativity, and experience the warmth of shopping local at Bass & Burl Collective.
A must-visit destination for visitors exploring Tasmania's North West Coast.
The Alley is an entertainment venue on the North-West coast of Tasmania. It offers tenpin bowling, escape rooms, karaoke rooms, live music, and amusement arcade machines.
Come along for some fun that is suitable for the whole family! Book in your child's birthday party of just come in for some delicious food and drinks!
The Alley also offers 8 leagues a week for players who like some fun competition and often hosts state-wide tournaments for those who wish to excel in the sport of tenpin bowling.
At Home Hill go behind the scenes of the public lives of Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons and his wife Dame Enid Lyons. Joseph Lyons (1879-1939), a school teacher born in Stanley, was Tasmania's Premier in 1923-28 and Australia's 10th Prime Minister 1932-39. Dame Enid Lyons (1897-1981) was the first woman elected to Federal Parliament, as a Member of the House of Representatives in 1943. She was also the first woman to serve in federal cabinet as part of the Menzies Government in 1949-1951.
Home Hill was built in 1916 and was extended over the years to house the Lyons' eleven surviving children. It survives with a large collection of original materials and offers an unexpected insight into Australian political and family life in the mid-20th century.
Home Hill was the centrepiece of a 4.5 hectare property, containing two hectares of apple orchard. Entered via the original drive, the now 2 hectare property retains the core of Dame Enid Lyons' original garden, including roses and garden 'rooms' defined by hedges.
Situated only a five-minute drive from either the centre of Devonport or the Spirit of Tasmania dock, Home Hill is accessible by guided tour only. Bookings recommended.
Nearby attractions include the City of Devonport Art Gallery, Bass Strait Maritime Museum, Don River Railway, Latrobe and Spreyton (historic towns).
The paranaple arts centre opened in November 2018 and is home to the Devonport Regional Gallery, Town Hall Theatre and the Devonport Visitor Information Centre.
Inside you will discover a centralised information desk to assist visitors with tickets, tourism bookings and enquiries. The customer service counter will also provide visitors with information on current and upcoming Gallery exhibitions and programs.
The centre boasts a creative learning space with activities for children and adults.
The heritage building evolved from the original 1899 Devonport Town Hall and 1902 Courthouse.
The paranaple arts centre is wheelchair accessible including lift access.
The Town Hall Theatre is located within the paranaple arts centre, centrally located in the heart of Devonport. The Theatre is the original 1899 Town Hall, converted now into a traditional proscenium arch, 407 seat theatre with raked seating.
The stage has full fly-tower operations and the venue boasts equipment levels comparable to many larger commercial venues, including staging, lighting and sound.
The Town Hall Theatre seeks to serve the Devonport community with the best touring productions available. Opportunities with arts organisations and producers are readily sought.
The Town Hall Theatre is also available for hire to local, schools, dance groups, community groups and performance companies.
The paranaple arts centre’s Presenter Season is an entertaining and challenging program of professional performing arts from around Australia. Bringing productions to Devonport audiences which would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience.
The paranaple arts centre’s box office provides a range of ticketing services to clients. A full ticketing service can be supplied by or a partial ticketing service where a block set of tickets are printed for client to distribute for external events.
The paranaple arts centre is wheelchair accessible including lift access.
The Devonport Regional Gallery is a vibrant, contemporary art space, housed in the paranaple arts centre, in the heart of Devonport city in the North West of Tasmania.
The Gallery offers an annual program of exhibitions, education and public events and workshops in three separate exhibition spaces and a workshop area, the Creative Space. The Main Gallery mainly presents touring exhibitions, while the Little and Upper Galleries feature works from the Devonport City Permanent Collection of Art and works by emerging and early career Tasmanian Artists.
The Gallery is home to Devonport City Council's Permanent Collection comprising textiles, ceramics, glass, sculpture, paintings and works on paper by iconic Tasmanian and Australian artists.
Devonport is a coastal city, a one-hour-and-15-minute drive (101 kilometre) from Launceston. Nearby you can visit the Don River Railway Museum or the Bass Strait Maritime Centre.
The Gallery is supported by the Devonport City Council, Arts Tasmania, Friends of the Gallery and the Gallery's young member's committee The Droogs. Other funding is received through the Australian Government's Deductible Gift Recipient Status.
Where ideas meet the river: Devonport's premier event destination.
Set on the banks of the Mersey River in Northwest Tasmania, the Paranaple Convention Centre is more than a venue, it's a place where stories unfold and ideas take flight. Purpose-built as part of the Devonport City Council's Living City initiative, this award-winning centre features state-of-the-art facilities, panoramic waterfront views, and a warm, professional team dedicated to delivering exceptional events.
With capacity for up to 800 guests and a design inspired by the region's natural beauty and cultural heritage, the name "paranaple" comes from the dialect of the punniler panner people, meaning "gathering place".
Whether hosting national conferences, community celebrations, or strategic workshops, the centre connects people to place, transforming every event into a memorable experience.
