Deloraine is one of those delightful country towns that takes you by surprise and remains in your memory for a long time. My first encounter with Deloraine was back when I was a child and our family took a trip from our home city of Melbourne to northern Tasmania. All I remember of it were the steep hills of suburban Launceston and the pretty village of Deloraine.
Where is it?: Tasmania: North West. Deloraine is 53 km south east of Devonport and 51 km west of Launceston on Bass Highway in the valley of the Meander River.
Things to see and do:
Delorine has many heritage buildings, both in its main street and surrounding areas. St Marks Church across the river is particularly picturesque.
The park by the Meader River is a beautiful spot for a picnic lunch.
Up the hill behind the hotel is the birthplace of Admiral Sir John Collins, whose brilliant tactics while captain of HMAS Sydney in 1941 sank the Italian warship Bartolomeo Colleoni in the first cruiser battle of World war II.
Deloraine Museum is housed in a building dating from 1856.
As the town is overshadowed by the Great Western Tiers, it is no suroprise to learn that Deloraine is the best starting point for a tour of this mountainous region. This drive includes the Mole Creek Caves, Liffey and Meander Falls; Devil's Gullet; Quamby and Drys Bluff, Alum Cliffs lookout, Cethana and Wilmot Hydro electric power stations and Walls of Jerusalem National Park. See: Great Western Tiers Drive
Trivia: The Deloraine Turf Club has the only steeplechase course in Australia with growing bush fences.
About Deloraine
Midway between Devonport and Launceston, it is the only town of any size after crossing the Tasman by ferry, and leaving Devonport on your way to Launceston. It is well stopping and taking a look if you are passing through. As well as being a great base for exploring surroundings areas such as Cradle Mountain, the Great Western Tiers, Mole Creek and the Central Highlands, Deloraine has some greats eating places, and many attractive old buildings housing craft shops and other interesting businesses.
It is also the educational centre for the region with both primary (Deloraine Primary School and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School) and high schools (Deloraine High School), with students from other near towns attending school by taking daily buses. The town was bypassed by the new Bass Highway in the early 1990s. However the town has not suffered from this, and is a popular rest location for travellers.
Deloraine's resident population of around 2,000 swells by 30,000 around November each year when Australia's biggest working craft fair comes to town. With more than 200 exhibitors, four days seem hardly enough time to take it all in. It provides an opportunity to indulge in some of Tasmania's finest food and wine, try your hand at candle wicking, watch kites and kaleidoscopes being crafted and talk to the creators of fine silkscreen paintings, woodcarvings, lead lights, and hand-blown glassware.
The valley of the Meander River, on the banks of which the town is nestled, was explored in 1821 by Captain Roland, who was searching for farm land. Land here was granted to new settlers, and the town is now a major agricultural centre, with a large number of farms of all types in the area. The town won the State Tidy Towns award in 1992, 1993 and 1995, and the Australian Community of the Year award in 1997.
