Devonport is the Tasmanian arrival port for the Spirit of Tasmania passenger ferries from the mainland.
The Spirit of Tasmania I and Spirit of Tasmania II travel the Melbourne - Devonport route providing an overnight service in both directions every day of the year. The vessels depart at 8PM and arrive the following morning at 7AM. During peak periods there are additional daytime crossings, departing at 9AM and arriving the same day at 6PM, and the overnight ferry going from 9PM until 6AM. The ferry travels faster! The ferry terminal is in East Devonport, directly across the river from the town centre. Boarding closes 45 minutes before the departure time, and it is not unusual for the ship to be sailing well away from the wharf at the time of scheduled departure.
There are restaurants, both buffet and a-la-carte on board. There is a cinema, several bars, and live music during summer crossings. There shop selling essentials, and tourist items. There is a phone which works while at sea, and a ATM which doesn't.
Telstra has mobile reception and 3G data is available throughout the ship, even when at sea. No other mobile or data services are available.
The vessels have a wide variety of accommodation, these include Cruise Seats, Business Class Seats, Inside 3, 4 Berth Cabin, Porthole 3, 4 Berth Cabin, Inside Twin Cabin, Porthole Twin Cabin and the luxurious Deluxe Cabins.
Fares
Its cheap to take your car on on board, at $65 per car year around each way. The cost is subsidised by the federal government as part of the national highway budget. Unfortunately you can't send your car unaccompanied, and you will have to buy at least one seat on the ship.
A seat usually costing between $120 and $180 depending on the time of year. The cheapest cabin costing between $170 and $280 per person, depending on the time of year each way. More for a twin or deluxe cabin, more for a porthole.
It can easily be cheaper to fly than to take the ship, and as a guide a flight and a week of car hire in a small car for a couple usually works out around the same price as a return trip with a car in a twin cabin.
Motorbikes cost $45, and bicycles cost $7. However, officially these are only entitled to the subsidised rate if they are your form of transportation. If you can get the bicycles on the car on a bike rack within the standard car length, then you pay no extra for them.
The ship docks in East Devonport which is linked by a passenger ferry across the Mersey to the town centre. However it doesn't run as early as the ferry arrives, or as late as the ferry arrives, and not at all on Sunday. The walk around via the road bridge is a long one, and you may need to get a taxi into town.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Devonport
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Devonport - updated May 2024
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Devonport Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
