Promised Land
Anyone who hasn't been here could be forgiven for thinking the locality's quirky name is nothing more than a gimmick generated by a hot-shot real estate agent to capture the imagination of potential buyers. But when you drive through the area, it's not hard to see why the first white settlers here believed that had reached the promised land.
This very picturesque rural locality is a rich farming area bounded by Lake Barrington on one side and the dramatic peaks of the Great Western Tiers on the other.
Where Is it?: Promised Land is 200km from Hobart, and about 80 km south of Launceston. The locality lies within the Kentish Council area and the nearest service centre is Sheffield.
Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot
When it comes to Tasmanian tourist destinations, you won’t find anywhere more fascinating and unusual than Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot. Tasmazia includes 8 mazes, featuring The Great Maze - at the time of planting the world's largest - as well as The Village of Lower Crackpot, a whimsical model village built to 1/5th scale, Embassy Gardens, a self serve Cafeteria, Gift Shop, Lavender Farm, and ever present views of majestic Mount Roland.
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Lake Barrington
Best known for its 2,000 metre, eight-lane international-standard rowing course, used for rowing, canoeing and water skiing competitions, Lake Barrington was created on the Forth River in 1969 to provide a head of water for the Devils Gate Power Station. The foreshore is protected by the Tasmanian Government as a nature recreation area. Picnic areas with sheltered tables, BBQs and toilets are available within the reserve. A kiosk operates on weekends in summer and during major sporting events. Lake Barrington is used by Australia's Olympics rowing team for training purposes.
The lake is a popular water ski location with access via West Kentish on one side of the lake and Wilmot on the other. There are two water ski clubs based at Lake Barrington: Kentish Aquatic Club and Horsehead Water Ski Club. The lake is also used for canoeing and trout fishing. There is an adventure playground and a two-hour rainforest walk.
Dooleys Trail
Dooley's Trail runs along the Wilmot River from Alma Reserve to Spellmans Reserve at Castra. This walking/riding trail follows the original track carved out by James Dooley in the 1850s who sought to link Forth to the mines along the river to Gad Hill, Black Bluff and beyond. A loop track has now been created to allow for a return journey with low water crossings marked along the route.
Gt Western Tiers Drive
The Great Western Tiers are the northern face of the Tasmanian Central Plateau, which rises up to 1420m above sea level and is dominated by Cradle Mountain. In the foothills of the Great Western Tiers can be found a wide range of attractions both man made and natural which can be explored on this drive.
Allow a full day for the drive; add additional time if you are contemplating taking any of the bushwalks in the area or spending more time than a quick visit. The Great Western Tiers are the gateway to Tasmania's best known National Parks - Cradle Mountain, Lake St. Clair and Walls Of Jerusalem - as well as an alternative route to the west coast of Tasmania.
Sheffield
A rural inland town in Tasmania s north west, Sheffield is known as the Town of Murals because of the many murals that decorate the walls of buildings around the town.
Names like Promised Land, Paradise and No Where Else were used to encapsulate the beauty of the region. Visitors today believe this still rings true!View rich agricultural fields, rolling green hills and natural vistas when journeying to Sheffield, Cradle Mountain, Wilmot and Railton.
No Where Else
Another quaintly named place in the region is No Where Else. What is there at No Where Else? Not much really, there are no shops, no pub, no general store or toilets, just a few farm houses and an interesting sign to have your photo taken under! Nowhere Else came into being because the original road from Barrington ended at the entrance to a farm. When drivers asked the farmer what was further on he told them 'No where Else'.
At the end of Nowhere Else Road is Mt Roland, which sits in all its magnificence in front of you. It eventually leads to Paradise and Crackpot (this refers to a town, not a person). When they named these places, what were they thinking?
Paradise
Paradise was named by a land-prospecting farmer who came through dense undergrowth cover, emerging to find a magnificent view of Mt. Roland. Sitting down at the base of a large gum tree, he was said to exclaim "This is truly paradise". Scottish pioneer settlers bestowed these unusual place names as they opened up the land. Since many of them had been forced off their lands by English Lords or religious persecution, it is no wonder that they viewed this place as a gift of providence.
Paradise is the considered by those who live there to be the gateway to the best of the Tasmanian Wilderness areas - including the spectacular Cradle Mountain and Lake Saint Clair National Parks, Liffey Falls and the Mole Creek caves.
