The primary reason many visitors pass through Devonport is to reach Cradle Mountain, about 80 kilometres south — roughly an hour's drive through rolling farmland that gives way to highland forest. The mountain itself is one of Australia's iconic landscapes: a dolerite peak above a glacial lake, surrounded by the Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park.
Stanley, about 150 kilometres west along the Bass Highway, is one of the most atmospheric small towns in Tasmania. The historic port sits beneath the Nut, a dramatic flat-topped volcanic plug that dominates the headland. The old bluestone buildings along the foreshore have been well preserved. Allow most of a day for the drive and the town.
Launceston is 99 kilometres east — about an hour — and offers a more substantial urban stopover: the Cataract Gorge, a strong café and restaurant scene, and the gateway to the Tamar Valley wine country.
