DEVONPORT

town, northern Tasmania, Australia. It lies near the mouth of the River Mersey, which empties into Bass Strait. One of the state's largest communities, it was formed through the amalgamation in 1893 of the villages of Torquay (east bank) and Formby (west), both of which had been founded in the 1850s. A major service centre with port facilities, Devonport is on the Bass Highway and a rail line (freight only) to Launceston, 45 miles (70 km) southeast, and has ferry and air links to Melbourne. The city exports paper, textiles, carpets, processed foods, potatoes, cement, and sawed timber. Pop. (1986) 22,645.