Building in Barrington
Rural Kentish country, 21km from Devonport — farming paddocks, Lake Barrington, and a Cradle Mountain skyline.
Kentish Country, Nine Kilometres from Sheffield
Barrington sits at the northern edge of the Kentish municipality — that stretch of north-west Tasmania where the coastal plains give way to the foothills and the landscape opens into dairy paddocks and mountain views. It is about 21 kilometres southwest of Devonport and 9 kilometres north of Sheffield, on the primary road between the coast and the Cradle Mountain corridor.
The community is small — around 209 people at the last census — and the character is agricultural. Mixed farming, beef and dairy, and open grazing land define the locality. Lake Barrington, an artificial lake on the Forth River constructed in 1969 for the Devils Gate Power Station, is nearby and has become a significant recreation destination; it hosted the 1990 World Rowing Championships and continues to draw rowers, kayakers, and boating enthusiasts from across the state.
For home builders, Barrington's appeal is uncomplicated: rural land within the Kentish municipality, at prices that reflect the locality's size rather than its setting — with the same Great Western Tiers backdrop and building environment as Sheffield, at a fraction of the land cost. Devonport is 25 minutes north by road. Sheffield is 10 minutes south. You are not remote. You are rural, and that is the point.
Barrington is also in Davies' operating territory. We are based in Sheffield, 9 kilometres away. We know the Kentish planning environment, the trades, and the conditions here. When you build in Barrington, you're working with a team for whom this is home ground.
Why People Choose Barrington
Genuine Rural Character
Barrington is working farming country — dairy, beef cattle, mixed cropping — not a lifestyle simulation. The landscape is open and agricultural, with the kind of unhurried pace that draws people who want to live where the land is actually used.
Lake Barrington
Lake Barrington, formed when the Forth River was dammed for the Devils Gate Power Station in 1969, has become one of the region's recreational assets. Boating, kayaking, rowing, and camping are all popular. The lake hosted the 1990 World Rowing Championships — a legacy that gave the area international visibility and lasting infrastructure.
Cradle Mountain Corridor
Barrington sits on the approach road to Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park — one of Tasmania's most-visited World Heritage areas. Alpine day walks, wilderness drives, and the full Overland Track are within reach for those who build here.
Equidistant Between Two Towns
Sheffield is 9 kilometres south — a full-service rural town with cafés, trades, schools, and services. Devonport is 21 kilometres north — a regional centre with ferry terminal, hospital, TAFE, and shopping. Barrington sits neatly between them.
Affordable Land Entry
Rural land values in the Barrington locality reflect its size and agricultural character — which means building here allows a project budget weighted toward quality construction rather than land purchase. For those seeking a high-performance rural home, that is a meaningful advantage.
Davies' Home Ground
Sheffield — the base of Davies Design & Construction — is 9 kilometres south of Barrington. We have built throughout the Kentish municipality since 2009. There is no learning curve on a Barrington build: we know the council, the conditions, and the right trades network.
What to Know About Building in Barrington
Building in Barrington means working within the Kentish planning framework — the same environment as our Sheffield home base. Here's what to understand before you start:
- Barrington falls under Kentish Council. The Tasmanian Planning Scheme came into effect for the Kentish local government area on 26 March 2025, replacing the previous interim planning scheme. Applications are lodged with and assessed by Kentish Council; PlanBuild Tasmania is the state portal for checking planning rules and overlays on any specific property.
- Rural land in the Barrington locality typically sits in the Rural Resource Zone. This zone has specific provisions for residential use — verifying zone and any applicable overlays before purchasing rural land is an important step Davies can help you think through.
- The inland climate in this part of the Kentish municipality is cool-temperate with cold winters. Morning frosts from April through October are the norm. A high-performance thermal envelope — airtight construction, quality insulation, and north-facing passive solar design — is the standard Davies approach and directly addresses Barrington's heating loads.
- Site conditions across the Barrington area are generally workable — gently undulating terrain on agricultural soils. Unlike coastal bluff or hillside builds, most rural sites in this locality are buildable without extraordinary earthworks, which helps contain costs.
- Davies' established subcontractor network across the Kentish and Devonport regions means no supply chain complications. Barrington is well within our normal operating radius — trades are sourced locally and managed with the same rigour as a Sheffield build.
Davies Design & Construction has been building in the Kentish municipality since 2009. Mill Corner Longhaus — our certified Passivhaus in the foothills of Sheffield and the 2026 national HIA GreenSmart Energy Efficiency winner — is an example of what's possible in this climate and this planning environment. When you build with us in Barrington, you're working with a team that has spent 15+ years learning this land.
Davies Projects in the Region
Our portfolio spans the Kentish municipality and the wider north-west coast — every project a demonstration of what's possible when design rigour meets precise construction.
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