Welcome to North West Tasmania… Where natural beauty meets opportunity.
Nestled between rugged coastlines and lush mountain ranges, Northwest Tasmania offers a lifestyle that’s both enriching and inspiring. Whether you're here to build a career, raise a family, or enjoy a slower pace of life, this region has something special for everyone.
Breathtaking Scenery
From the iconic Cradle Mountain to the pristine beaches of Boat Harbour, the region is a haven for nature lovers and outdoor adventurers.
Rural Medicine
Be challenged with the opportunity to learn about, manage and treat the broad range of medicine that comes with working and living in a rural centre.
Strong Community Spirit
Friendly towns like Devonport, Burnie, and Wynyard offer a welcoming atmosphere where neighbours know each other and community events thrive.
Moving to a new place is an exciting journey. It can also come with a few challenges, especially when it comes to finding the right information. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you feel at home and get to know your new community with ease.
Find helpful tips, local contacts, and key information to support you as you settle into life in Northwest Tasmania. Whether you're looking for local services, community groups, or want to know where to grab a great coffee, we’ve got you covered.
Our team Orientation essentials Our Region (Things to Know)
Our regional training hub
As one of twenty-six Commonwealth funded Hubs across Australia, the University of Tasmania’s Regional Training Hub (RTH) forms part of a broader rural workforce program, the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training Program. The program aims to create a sustainable future health workforce in remote, rural and regional Australia.
Our Hub offices are collocated with the University of Tasmania’s Rural Clinical School (RCS) sites at the North West Regional Hospital and Mersey Community Hospital sites and extends from the North West Region to Launceston (and surrounds). We have a satellite Regional Training Hub site in Launceston.
Sign up to our newsletter to get the most up to date events and registrations.
What do we do?
Our focus is on creating more opportunities for rurally based medical education and training at all stages of the medical training pathway.
In so doing, we work with the Rural Clinical School, local health services, specialist colleges and professional bodies to coordinate, support and expand rural training opportunities for medical students, pre-vocational graduates, vocational trainees and specialists.
We want to work with you to:
- Develop your training pathway towards specialist training in the Northwest
- Assist you in improving your skills and knowledge to make you a competitive candidate for training
- Demonstrate what living and working in a regional centre like the Northwest can be like – and show you how you could work here in the future
- Build research skills and capability in a regional location
There is a Doctors Lounge at both the North West Regional Hospital and the Mersey Community Hospital, located in the Rural Clinical School attached to the Main Hospital. It is accessible via swipe card. To gain access please email us to be registered.
We look forward to welcoming you to our Regional Training Hub events throughout the year
Our events include:
- Educational workshops
- Tailored mentoring
- Social activities
- Support to access conferences and courses
- Access to our Clinician’s Lounge. Please contact us if you would like access to this space and we will organise an ID card for you to access the Rural Clinical School space.
Our team
If you are new to the area, we warmly invite you to connect with us. Whether you're looking to get involved, ask questions, or simply introduce yourself, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out—we look forward to meeting you and helping you feel at home.
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Associate Professor Debbie Wilson
Clinical Co-Director - Regional Training Hub
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Associate Professor Jonathan Fong
Clinical Co-Director - Regional Training Hub
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Associate Professor Heinrich Weber
Research and Pathways – Regional Training Hub
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Lyndal Bond
Project Manager
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Dr Alison Tasker
Medical Education Mentor
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Angela Degetto
Medical Project Officer
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Ruth Gray
Regional Training Hub - Administration Officer
Orientation essentials
The Tasmanian Health Service – North West (THS North West) is the main provider of public health and hospital services to residents of the North West region. Services are provided across a large geographical area and a range of facilities, from large hospitals to various smaller facilities across the region.
The following public hospitals are part of THS North West:
- North West Regional Hospital (NWRH)
- Mersey Community Hospital (MCH)
- Smithton District Hospital
- King Island District Hospital
- West Coast District Hospital.
Community health mental health services are provided through a range of stand-alone facilities, including:
- Burnie Community Health Centre
- Central Coast Community Health Centre – Ulverstone
- Devonport Community Health Centre
- James Muir Community Health Centre – Wynyard
- Rosebery Community Health Centre.
Learn more about our placement locations
The Mersey Community Hospital has 95 beds and offers general and specialist health services to the region.
The MCH is located in Latrobe, about 10 minutes away from Devonport and 40 minutes away from Burnie. It is best accessed via car, and parking is available onsite.
The cafeteria is open Monday to Friday for lunch and is located on Level 3.
The kiosk is open on the ground floor, opposite the emergency department and sells food and drinks. The kiosk is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm and Saturday & Sunday, 1:30 pm to 6pm
The Rural Clinical School is on level 2, where there is the doctors lounge and library, which is open at all hours (swipe card access required)
The MCH offers a comprehensive undergraduate and graduate clinical training program and has close ties with the University of Tasmania through the Rural Clinical School and with TAFE Tasmania.
Clinical services and facilities include:
- Emergency department
- Outpatient department General Medicine, Gastroenterology, Respiratory, Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Paediatrics, General Surgery and Orthopaedics
- Radiology Service
- Medical Ward
- Day Surgery Centre
The NWRH at Burnie is a modern 160-bed facility providing high-quality healthcare and specialist services to North West Tasmania and King Island. It offers services in medical, surgical and allied health specialties through inpatient and outpatient departments.
The hospital caters for the emergency resuscitation, surgery and intensive care of most trauma patients and other medical conditions. As the NWRH is a secondary-level service, transfer to comprehensive tertiary hospitals occurs for some clinical conditions.
The library is located on level 1 in the Cancer Centre and is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.
The Cafeteria is open Monday to Friday for lunch, and closed on weekends. Hudson’s Café, located in the medical centre attached to the Public hospital, and the North West Private Café are also available.
The Rural Clinical School is located between the North West Private Hospital and the Public Hospital. Our Regional Training Hub office, as well as the Doctors Lounge, is located on level 1. Email us to get swipe card access.
Clinical services and facilities include:
- Department of Emergency Medicine
- ICU - Burnie ICU is a multidisciplinary critical care unit providing 24/7 care for patients with actual or impending life-threatening illness, serving both the North West region and key hospital services. We manage invasive and non-invasive ventilation, vasoactive support, sepsis/shock, post-operative critical care, and complex medical emergencies, with close integration with ED, surgery, anaesthetics and inpatient teams. Junior doctors are supported by an on-site ICU team and intensivist-led supervision, with a strong focus on safe escalation, structured handover, and evidence-based protocols. The unit prioritises patient-centred care, high-quality communication with families, and a culture of learning and teamwork.
- Department of Medicine - is staffed by four permanent General Physicians and includes subspecialists in Endocrinology, Cardiology, Infectious Diseases, Respiratory Medicine, Nephrology and Gastroenterology
- The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology is based at the North West Regional Hospital. It is a Level 4 Maternity Unit with around 1000 births per year and provides a comprehensive range of gynaecological services. Outpatient clinics (Antenatal and Gynaecology) are provided at North West Regional Hospital and also at Latrobe (Mersey Community Hospital), Smithton, King Island and Queenstown. The unit is staffed by 6 Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 5 Registrars and 3-4 Resident Medical Officers. The department is a RANZCOG-accredited training site.
- Department of Paediatric Medicine
- Department of Psychiatry
- Surgical and Perioperative Services – provides elective and emergency Orthopaedic, ENT and General Surgical Services, and is supported by an Anaesthetic Department to deliver 24 hr care to surgical patients in the North West. There are three orthopaedic registrars, four general surgical registrars and seven anaesthetic registrars.
- Radiology Services – I-Med Radiology provides inpatient and outpatient onsite services, including Xray, Ultrasound CT, MRI, minor Interventional procedures and Nuclear Medicine. Access patient imaging through https://i-med.com.au/resources/access-patient-images which requires you to set up an account with I-Med.
- Pathology Services – TML pathology provides inpatient and outpatient services.
- Cancer Centre – the North West Cancer Centre provides outpatient Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology and Clinical Haematology services run through the Northern Cancer Service, and delivers onsite chemotherapy, radiotherapy, iron infusions and outpatient appointments.
The private health system supports the delivery of healthcare to residents of North West Tasmania. The largest private provider in the North West is the North West Private Hospital in Burnie.
This 48-bed hospital provides medical, surgical, mental health and maternity services to the North West community.
Other specialist clinical services are delivered in licensed day facilities and at facilities providing services for patients with surgical, cancer, mental health and women’s health needs.
Useful links for essential items in your local area
Medical Workforce Unit
Whilst most administrative work is done through your own department, including roster and leave allocations, the Medical Workforce Unit is available to assist with any questions about onboarding, entitlements and pay issues.
The medical workforce unit can be contacted through:
- medicalservices.nw@ths.tas.gov.au
- Mersey Community Hospital – Nurses Home, Level 1 – Room 152
- North West Regional Hospital – Rural Clinical School – Room 255E
Medical Practitioner’s Award
If you’re moving from interstate, you might have come from a different award. Please look at the Tasmanian-specific award and what benefits are available from the THS.
- Medical Practitioners (Public Sector) | Tasmanian Industrial Commission
- Employee benefits | Tasmanian Department of Health
- Medical Practitioner salary rates | Tasmanian Department of Health
Employee Assistance Program
If you need assistance with personal or work-related issues that are affecting your wellbeing, the Tasmanian Health Service suggests you access professional support through the Employee Assistance Program. This is a confidential, free and independent support program that is delivered by qualified professionals.
Other services such as DRS4DRS are recommended by the AMA.
- Staff and public parking is available at both the MCH and NWRH
- Please ask at Main Reception for the forms for a parking permit for NWRH (no permit is required at MCH). You will be given interim parking until your request is processed. Once you have a parking permit sticker, the cheapest way to park is to buy a ‘scratch’ card, which gives 20 parking sessions.
- A single episode parking ticket for the NWRH can be purchased at the ticket machines or via the Easypark App.
Access to hospital accommodation is different for each department and depends on the terms of your employment.
Hospital accommodation can be provided for up to 12 months, subject to availability, with the first three months being rent-free.
Accommodation is coordinated by the accommodation team. Ensure you read the information provided by them carefully on arrival. Make sure you document any damage/disrepair at the property on arrival by taking photos and sending them to the property team within 24 hours. The property team will require you to sign a lease and payment forms for the rent.
The Dr Richard Butterfield Library can be accessed on the 1st floor of the cancer centre from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Monday to Friday.
Other library services can be accessed online.
University of Tasmania - Tools for Systematic Review - Systematic Reviews for Health - Subject Guides at University of Tasmania
Please note, you will need to open links on a THS computer to access SDMS.
These are the key hospital wide protocols to help you understand processes in the two Hospitals – NWRH and MCH:
- Medical Emergency Team ( MET ) - Mersey Community Hospital - Hospitals North West - Protocol – 20230302
- Medical Emergency Team (MET) - North West Regional Hospital - Hospitals North West - Protocol - 20230406
- Code Blue - Mersey Community Hospital (MCH) - Hospitals North West - Protocol - 20240905 - INTERIM AGREEMENT - (SEP 2026)
- Code Blue – District Hospitals North West - Hospitals North West - Protocol – 20250519
- Escalation of Clinical Concern - Hospitals North West - Protocol - 20240201 - INTERIM AGREEMENT (FEB 2026)
- Sepsis Identification and Initial Management in Adult Patients - Hospitals North - Protocol - 20230627 - INTERIM AGREEMENT (NOVEMBER 2025)
- Delirium Prevention and Management - Hospitals North - Protocol - 20250401
- Care Type Change Administrative Process - THS Statewide - Protocol - 20220216 - INTERIM AGREEMENT (FEB 2026)
- Medical Goals of Care Protocol - Statewide - Protocol - 20241112
- Comprehensive Care - THS Statewide - Policy – 20221214
- Adult Inpatient Comprehensive Care Plan - Statewide - Guideline – 20250213
- End of Life Care Plan - Statewide - Protocol – 20230510
- Code STROKE at Mersey Community Hospital - Hospitals North West - Protocol - 20230907 – INTERIM AGREEMENT (DEC 2025)
- Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prophylaxis for Adult Patients - Statewide - Protocol - 20221012
Our region
There are lots of things to enjoy around the North West, and we hope that you have many opportunities to make the most of our great food, weather and natural landscapes.
We recommend you have a look at the Devonport, Central Coast and Burnie Council websites for upcoming events.
- Young’s Vegie Shed | Camdale, TAS | Home
- IGA Everyday Somerset | IGA Supermarkets
- IGA Everyday Penguin | IGA Supermarkets
- Coles Burnie | Store Directions & Opening Hours
- Store locator - Woolworths Online
- Coles Devonport | Store Directions & Opening Hours
- Hill Street Devonport
- Anvers Chocolate Factory | Food and drink | Discover Tasmania
- Reliquaire