Sheffield is a town situated 23 km inland from
DevonportDevonport is a city in the north-west of Tasmania, Australia, at the mouth of the Mersey River. It, along with the slightly smaller city of Burnie, is the major regional centres of the north-west of the state...
on the north-west coast of
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, from which it is separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania – the 26th largest island in the world – and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 500,000 ,...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
's island state. Sheffield has long been the rural hub for the Mount Roland area. The Sheffield area is well known for its high quality butterfat production via Diary farming. The area is suitable for fat lamb and beef production. The town of
RailtonRailton is a town situated 20km inland from Devonport on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia's island state. At the 2006 census, Railton had a population of 900. It was first known as Redwater Creek and became known as Railton after the construction of a tramway line in the 1860s...
is nearby. At the 2006
censusThe Australian census is administered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 8 August 2006. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they have also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933, 1947, and 1954...
, Sheffield had a population of 1,397.
In North West Tasmania, Sheffield as one of the many early townships was settled in 1859. The town was named 'Sheffield', by
Edward CurrEdward Micklethwaite Curr was an Australian pastoralist and squatter.Curr was born in Hobart, Tasmania , the eldest of eleven surviving children of Edward Curr and Elizabeth Curr...
after his home town in
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
,
South YorkshireSouth Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and the city of Sheffield...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Sheffield has become a major tourist attraction due to it becoming a "Town of Murals", based upon the instrumental contribution of local tourism pioneer
Brian InderBrian Inder is a tourism pioneer of North Western Tasmania, Australia. On his property at Staverton near Lake Barrington he has established one of the world's largest maze complexes, called Tasmazia....
.
The first town mural was painted in Sheffield in December 1986. Since then over 47 murals depicting the area's rich history and beautiful natural scenery are painted on walls scattered throughout the town and buildings along the roadside. The murals attract an estimated 120,000 people to the town annually.
In the heart of Sheffield, there are a number of studios open to the public where visitors can watch the artists as they do their work. Artists of every discipline, including photography, fine art, glass, woodcraft, pottery, ceramics and specialised crafts.
The
Wilderness Gallery Mural Fest art competition has been held annually since 2003 and will return again in April 2010. The poem for the next competition is
Home by Cindy Bennett. After each competition the 9 finalist murals remain on display at Mural Park for approximately 12 months until the next competition.
There are many natural attractions in the Sheffield area.
Mount Roland
Mount Roland is the backdrop of the Sheffield township rising up 1234 metres above sea level.
Mount Roland Conservation Area & Regional Reserve
The reserve consists of 7600 hectares surrounding the range. A number of well marked bushwalks are all suitable for a day of pleasant exercise. There are walking tracks from both Claude Road and Gowrie Park to the the summit. The walk takes in the plains and plateau leading to the summit of the peak. There are two tracks to the summit which provide spectacular 360 degree views to Bass Strait, Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff.
Lake Barrington
Lake BarringtonLake Barrington is a lake in Tasmania, Australia. It was built on the Forth River in 1969 to provide a head of water for hydroelectric power generation. It is protected by the state government as a nature recreation area....
is known as an international standard rowing venue and a previous site of the
1990 World Rowing ChampionshipsThe 13th World Rowing Championships were held between October 31 and November 4, 1990 at Lake Barrington in Tasmania, Australia.-Medal summary:- Medals table :...
. It was created in 1969 by building the Devils Gate Dam on the
Forth RiverThe Forth River is a river in northern Tasmania, Australia. Major features include Lake Barrington, which is a major venue for competitve rowing, and the village of Forth. The river is a part of the Mersey-Forth power project, which includes seven hydroelectric power stations...
. The area is also used for water skiing, canoeing and trout fishing. There is an adventure playground and a two-hour rainforest walk. Facilities for visitors include picnic sites, boat ramps and toilet facilities.
Devil's Gate Dam
The overhanging crest allows flood water to freefall to the river bed, with up to 2000 tonnes of water falling every second during an extreme flood. It has a suspension bridge allowing access to view the area.
It is one of the thinnest concrete arch dams in the world. It was completed by the Hydro-Electric Commission in 1969 and is 84 m high. The narrowness of the gorge and the computer-aided design of its double-curvature shape enabled engineers to minimise the volume of concrete and hence the cost of the dam. Flood waters falling freely from the crest strike concrete slabs carefully positioned on the abutments to prevent undermining of the dam by erosion.
Marakoopa Cave - Karst National Park - Mole Creek
Marakoopa Cave is a limestone cave in Mole Creek Karst national park, north west Tasmania. The Mole Creek Karst National Park includes some of Tasmania’s most visited cave systems, including Marakoopa and King Solomons Cave, two of over 300 known caves and sinkholes in the area. Marakoopa Cave features two underground streams, a large display of glow-worms, large caverns, rim pools, reflections and shawl and flowstone features.
Lake Cethana
The walk starts at the junction just before turning into the Lemonthyme Lodge. The walk takes about 2 hours. This is another good walk to observe all the varieties of vegetation of the area. After crossing 2 areas of cleared land the track crosses a fern gully, beyond which there is more forest until the track finally terminates in the back water of the lake. This walk is graded as hard because the return trip is a long haul back uphill. Duration 2 hours
Kimberley Warm Springs
Kimberley Warm Springs represents a rare land form and habitat, including rare flora and fauna, among which is an endemic snail. Representing special aesthetic values and a long historical association with the Kimberley community. The phenomena is little recorded, consequently it offers the opportunity for scientific investigation. The Kimberley Warm Springs have long been regarded as a special place by members of the local community who are determined to ensure the on-going integrity of the site.
Gowrie Park
Gowrie Park is located 16 km south of Sheffield. It is an excellent starting point for people wanting to spend their day climbing Mount Roland. Although the town is small now, it has had a fascinating history.
Sykes Sanctuary
Sykes Sanctuary is 40 acres of bush land with abundant bird life, walking tracks and memorials to Norman Sykes. He was an eccentric conservationist who gave up city life to live in a small shack, close to nature. He bequeathed his property to the Railton community with the instruction that it be conserved as a bird and fauna sanctuary.
Cradle Mountain
Cradle MountainCradle Mountain is a distinctive mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia. Rising to 1,545 metres above sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty...
is located approximately south-west of the township. Just an hour’s drive from Sheffield, this iconic mountain and the beautiful Dove Lake are easily accessed at the northern end of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. There are numerous short, half-day and full-day walks that can be enjoyed in the alpine high country beneath Cradle Mountain. Be sure to check the weather forecast before a walk, as conditions can change rapidly.
Hydro control centre
Most of the South West and West Coast
Hydro TasmaniaHydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as The HEC, is the predominant electricity generator in the state of Tasmania, Australia.The Hydro was originally mainly oriented towards hydro-electricity due to Tasmania's dramatic topography and relatively high rainfall in the central and western...
power stations are controlled from the Hydro control centre in Sheffield