Tasmania summary

We thoroughly enjoyed Tasmania.  We were very spoilt though with excellent weather.

If there was a direct flight from Auckland I expect it wouldn't be long before we went back (apparently a direct flight from somewhere in New Zealand to Hobart is under discussion according to one of our taxi drivers).

The people we met (other than one taxi driver) were all really friendly.  The Georgian and Victorian architecture and stonework  buildings and bridges were great.

Hawley Beach in the North is magnificent and there's hardly anybody around.  I could imagine spending a lot more time there.

I really liked Hobart, it had a good buzz to it, but that would have been helped by the Taste of Hobart festival and the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.  I would suggest that coinciding a trip with the Taste of Hobart is worthwhile in order to sample lots of good food and wine in one location and for the vibe itself.  Long Beach was nice, Port Arthur was a day trip away, and the fireworks were also awesome for New Years.

Whilst Coles Bay was a lovely location, I expect we would look to stay in Bicheno instead, since it’s not far away, it has good beaches and a bit more going for it.

I thought Launceston itself was a little dull, but it was nice to look around the greater area and travel further North.  The Cataract Gorge, Monkey Enclosure in the Park and Smokey Joe’s Creole Cafe, made it worth the visit though.

A car in Tasmania is mandatory and if you’re looking to go at peak times book accommodation and rental cars early.  We were struggling to find central accommodation in Hobart for New Years 6 months out!

For further information about our trip read the numerous other posts here (I got a bit carried away).

Henry’s Harbourside Restaurant, Hobart

Located at The Henry Jones Art Hotel in Hobart this is not a cheap restaurant but we did get to enjoy some lovely meals and also had some lovely cocktails from the bar prior to eating.

We started with some taste teasers and I had a tasty Beef Carpaccio that was accompanied with a sliver of blue cheese and something else I can’t recall (but it was good).  Jane had a small cup of field mushroom tea with truffle cream that she also enjoyed.

For mains, I had the duck and this was cooked rare and had a very light asian flavour to it, and was accompanied by Bok Choy, Poached Pear and a very slim and long spring roll that was filled with leg meat from the duck and very nice.  A nice dish.

Jane had some nice lamb medallions that were nicely balanced with an olive oil puree and wilted spinach and low baked onion.  Also a nice dish.

We finished with a nice cheese platter with predominantly Tasmanian cheeses.

The service was very professional, however at times we found it to be a little inattentive.

Monkeys in the Park

The City Park in Launceston has a Monkey Enclosure that houses around 20 Macaque Monkeys and is totally free to visit.  The Monkeys seemed very relaxed and we found it was quite enjoyable to watch them get up to their antics.

The Sebel Restaurant, Launceston

We dined in the restaurant of our hotel last night and had a lovely meal with a very professional service.

We started with a shared plate of prawns that were cooked with an Asian influence and had a light lemongrass flavour.  These were accompanied by noodles and Bok Choy that had a Soy and Honey based dressing.  A nice dish.

For mains I had the Fish of the Day, which was Tasmanian Salmon, which was accompanied by a light lemon flavoured Risotto that was a little overcooked and not as flavoursome as what I have become accustomed to (NB: Jane makes an excellent Risotto).  The meal was okay, but not great.

Jane had a beautiful beef dish that had a light anise flavour and she thoroughly enjoyed.  From the taste I had, I could imagine that I too would have been very happy with it.

We then followed this with a variety of nice dessert dishes.

Launceston to Devonport, the magnificent Hawley beach and the Cataract Gorge

The drive from Launceston to Devonport in Tasmania up the Bass Highway passes through a few stops that foodies are likely to enjoy.

Our first stop was at the Christmas Hill Raspberry Farm a few kilometres south east of Elizabeth Town where we had a very enjoyable experience.  The farm is well setup with an outdoor area for kids and they have made good use of showcasing raspberries,  including the excellent Raspberry Latte that I ordered, Jane’s fizzy Raspberry drink she thought tasted like sea water but I enjoyed, a sweet but excellent Raspberry Crepe with Raspberry Ice cream, and Damper (okay it has nothing to do with  Raspberries, but we  ordered it).  They also had jams, a raspberry vinegar and a lovely chocolate dipped raspberry.  The service was great and the cafe had a nice vibe.  This place was our favourite cafe experience of the trip.

We then drove a little further up the road, just  north of Elizabeth Town and went to the Ashgrove Cheese Factory.  They had many cheeses available for tasting and you could watch the cheese being made.

The House of Anvers Chocolate Shop near Latrobe had some chocolates to taste and to buy however I can’t say I thought much of the chocolate I had there.

Devonport is where a number of people enter Tasmania (via the boats that come in), so we were a little shocked to find that the first restaurant we decided to go to for lunch was closed and that the cafe we then tried to go to thereafter was closed until mid January.  I would have thought this would be their busy season.

We subsequently continued on to Hawley Beach and Port Sorell to the East of Devonport.  Hawley Beach has one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever come across and is somewhere that we are very glad we decided to go to.  In addition to rock pools there are beautiful white sand beaches and the colour of the water was akin to what you would normally associate with the tropics.

After a good burger at Port Sorell and a quick drive-by of Hawley House we headed back down towards Launceston via Exeter past many poppy fields, that are throughout Tasmania and a key part of the landscape.

The Tamar Valley is one of the key wine growing areas of Tasmania and the Tamar River flows through the valley looking magnificent.

We then had a short stop at the Grindelwald Tamar Resort Hotel that is modelled on a Swiss Village and has mini-golf, a 9 hole golf course, lake, kayaks, a games room and lots of other fun stuff that seems well equipped for families with kids.

Back in Launceston we went back to the Cataract Gorge and I walked along from the Gorge Restaurant to the Kings Bridge and was taken in by the beauty of the gorge.

The Gorge Restaurant, Launceston

Tonight we dined at The Gorge Restaurant that is situated in the magnificent Cataract Gorge in Launceston.

The restaurant is in a lovely location and a peacock roamed freely through the outside tables.

We started with a disappointing garlic bread, and I followed this with a Smoked Quail entree that was okay although not rave-worthy.  Jane had Oysters done three ways, of which she found that natural was the best and that the other styles overpowered the oysters.

For a main course I had Duck, that was reasonably good and Jane had Lamb that she enjoyed, although the grapefruit accompaniment did not match.

Jane finished with a Rhubarb and White Chocolate Terrine that she enjoyed.

Eastern side of the Tamar Valley

We drove up the East Tamar Highway from Launceston today.

Our first stop was at Hillwood at the Strawberry Farm which was a waste of time.  It was however very close to the Batman Bridge that spans across the Tamar River.

We then continued up to the Low Head Lighthouse at Bass Strait and then backtracked down to some of the vineyards in the Tamar Valley.

Jansz in Pipers Brook was our first vineyard stop for the day where we sampled some lovely sparkling wines.

Literally around the corner we went to Pipers Brook Vineyard where I particularly enjoyed their Sparkling wine, Pinot Noirs and Blends.  We also stopped here for lunch and I had an excellent Prawn Salad and Jane had an antipasto platter.  Both meals were great.

Larceny, Launceston, Tasmania

We dined at Larceny restaurant (previously Q22) in Launceston last night for dinner.  This is part of the Clarion Hotel.

The restaurant is trying to be a classy establishment with nicely set tables and well-dressed waitresses, however it fell short this evening with the “lack of polish” that the wait staff exhibited and the food was okay although not great.  To be fair though, we think that most of the staff looked like they were in training so this may improve, so I won’t labour this point further other than to say that there is a lot of room for improvement.

I had the Venison and this tasted okay and was reasonably cooked, was accompanied by a nice caramelised poached pear and was adequately presented.  It was okay, but nothing special. 

Jane had the Pork Belly and found it to be a little dry and the cider-based jus a bit too acidic, but otherwise it was okay.

It is worth noting that whilst Q22 is in the Entertainment Book, they are no longer taking the card under their new name.

Hobart to Launceston via the Midland Highway and Ross

We drove up the Midland Highway yesterday from Hobart in the South to Launceston in the North.  At Granton we crossed the Derwent river and passed over the interesting bridge depicted below.

This is apparently the busiest highway in Tasmania however it was not abnormal to pass no vehicles for several kilometres.

Along the way there are a number of steel cut-outs that make the drive a little more interesting.  

We then went through the well-preserved town of Ross and had Devonshire Tea at the bakery after visiting their stone bridge.

From Ross he went to Launceston.

Shipwrights Arms, Battery Point, Hobart

We went to the Shipwrights Arms a couple of nights ago and there was a good casual buzz there and they were very busy.

We started with a Cob Loaf and Garlic Butter that was okay. I then followed this with a steak, that was more blue than the rare I requested and seemed to have been resting for a bit long since it was not particularly warm.  It was quite tough, not well seasoned and they had run out of Dijon butter (one of the accompaniment options).

Jane had a huge chicken schnitzel that she enjoyed.

The wait staff are not polished, although being more of a pub-style establishment it was okay for what it was.

Cascade Brewery, the Huon Valley and Grandvewe Cheeses

We went out for a drive today south of Hobart to the Huon Valley.  On the way we drove by the very picturesque Cascade Brewery at the base of Mt Wellington.  Tours are run at the brewery several times a day, however at this time of the year booking in advance is required.

Approximately 30 minutes South of Hobart in Grandvewe Cheeses that specialises in sheep cheeses.  We tasted some lovely cheeses and an excellent Mutton Kransky and purchased some goat cheese (which we hadn’t tasted) and kransky for consumption later.

We drove around the scenic coast and stopped in at a bakery in Cygnet where we picked up some bread and after some more driving found a place for an in-car picnic (because it was a bit windy outside) consisting of the goats cheese, kransky and bread.

The goats cheese was much stronger than anticipated and not to our liking and rather than stink the car out we got rid of it at the first rubbish bin we came to.  The rest of the in-car picnic was however great.

Magnificent Tapas in Hobart

We had some exquisite tapas for dinner last night at “Francisco’s on Hampden” in Battery Point, Hobart.  Jane even commented that this was the best tapas she has ever had and I would have to agree, and that includes the tapas we had in Spain.

The restaurant had a nice upbeat ambience and was quite busy.  The service was very slow, however this was made up for the excellent tapas.

In terms of the tapas, we had Ceviche (which was excellent), Mediterranean Salad, Octopus (a but chewy and nothing wonderful), some magnificent Garlic / Chilli Prawns, Lamb Pintos (i.e. Souvlaki) and some lovely marinated mushrooms.  We concluded with a traditional Spanish version of Creme Brulee called Crema Catalana that was also great.

Markets, Port Arthur and Richmond

Jam packed today (and my first post of the trip!  Simon’s doing such a great job I figured I’d leave him to it.)

Up before the crack of dawn, well, it felt that way, and off to Jackman & McRoss bakery for a quick breakfast and a couple of takeaway pastries. 

Then down to the Saturday morning Salamanca Markets in time to be there before some of the stalls had even set up - in our experience this is the very best time to arrive at markets, avoiding a least a little of the crowds.  Although, this market is so extensive that by the time we had ambled past every single stall, it was actually fairly well crammed!

Great market, lots of great things to see and some not so good things to smell (neither of us can stand the smell of incense - fortunately there weren’t too many places burning it, but enough to notice!) and some great things to hear - one guy singing 80’s ballads with a beautiful voice, and harpist at another point.  We both made small purchases then grabbed a crab, sorry, cab, but she really was a crabby patches, up to the Avis office to pick up our rental car.

That sorted, we headed down the coast to Port Arthur to visit the site of the Penal Colony. We wandered around with the initial working tour, this was really very informative, and contained much of the info that we received again later on the boat trip around the harbour (you wouldn’t miss much if you missed your scheduled sailing). 
We grabbed a bit for lunch in the museum - which used to be the asylum, checked the database for any relatives who may have spent time there (no hits!) and then wandered off to the harbour tour as mentioned above. Simon did a little more exploring on the way while I took a few photos, but other than commenting that the governors house was climate controlled he didn’t mention anything so I’ll assume he didn’t see anything that really interested him!
We both listened to a little of the audio tour, but decided that the informative bits had mostly been included in the original 40 minute walking tour, although I did enjoy listening to some of the diary readings from the period.

We decided at this point we’d seen as much as we wanted to, so headed back up the coast to the historic village of Richmond.  Took a few photos of the bridge….

And Simon (I asked him to smile. Just smile!)…
 
Drove through the absolutely beautiful little village with all of it’s gorgeous stone buildings and stopped for Devonshire Teas at Ashmore on Bridge Street.  Seriously - these were the BEST scones I’ve ever eaten (sorry Mum!) and Simon loved his iced berry tea. So that brings us up to date again.  No decision on what we’re doing for dinner tonight yet.  We’ve got one more full day in Hobart before heading up to Launceston, although I expect tomorrow we’ll head down to the South coast in a Westerly direction and take in a few vineyards and dairies.  Stay tuned and you’ll find out!

CREDITS: all food and drink photos are Simon’s, the rest are mine.

New Years Eve in Hobart

Hobart was our destination for New Years Eve this year and here are some of my favourite shots from the evening, including a photo of some of the Sydney to Hobart Yachts taken on my way to get dinner, Flippers (the floating fish & chip shop where I got dinner) and some slightly bizarre fireworks shots.  The fireworks display at midnight lasted for 15 minutes.

Madge Malloys, Coles Bay

This wife and husband run restaurant catches a significant amount of the fish themselves that they have on the menu.

Barb is very friendly and accommodating and makes you feel like you are part of the family as she rushes around but not getting flustered.

We started with the Oysters and the Seafood chowder.  The Oysters are freshly shucked upon ordering them which is nice.  The Seafood chowder was nice although it was a little disappointing to see it padded out with a pre-frozen seafood mix and a little too much potato in my opinion.

I then had the Wild Perch special which was beautifully presented, all-be-it with garnishing that was a little antiquated.  This unfortunately was far too strong on the ginger.  Jane had a lovely Trout that was very delicately flavoured.

For dessert I had a lovely Chocolate Mud cake and Jane had Cassata that she enjoyed although the almond was a little liquid.

Vineyards in the Cranbrook region of Tasmania

We stopped in at four vineyards on our round trip from Coles Bay via Bicheno, St Marys, Campbell Town.

Milton

Our first stop was Milton, which has its shop located in a a lovely old home on top of a hill with a lovely backdrop of vines located across a lake.

Having not tasted wines from this region before I tried a variety of different wines (other than the Rose I had tasted the day before) and was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed them all.  It is predominantly a cool-climate region, not too dissimilar to the Marlborough region in terms of flavours.  I tried the Riesling to start and enjoyed the zesty citrus characteristics, the Pinot Gris  had a lovely pear flavour and the Ice Riesling was light, packed with raison flavour and very drinkable. 

If we didn’t have the logistics challenges of getting wine back to New Zealand I would have purchased more from here than the Riesling and Ice Riesling I ended up buying.  This was my pick of the vineyards we visited in this region.

Spring Vale Wines

Whilst the wines here were appeared to be quite good, the tasting size was so small it was really hard to be able to assess the wines.  I left empty handed.

Craigie Knowe Vineyard

This was an enjoyable experience.  Finding the vineyard wasn’t the easiest with the signposts hard to see, then there was the driveway to navigate that was more equipped for a 4WD than our 2WD rental car.

The door on the shed had a sign on it saying “Honk for attention” but we didn’t need to do so as the elderly vintner saw us from the house, jumped in his Ute and headed down to meet us, with a half-full bottle of wine in hand.

After being asked what we were there for he then opened the shed and we were then surrounded by chemicals, barrels and packaging.  He then proceeded to get one of the dirty wine glasses down from hanging above the sink and filled it with his Bordeaux blend.   This tasted a little dusty, although maybe that was from the glass, as he proceeded to tell us about the region and Buttons his dog, which shortly after came to see us too.  I then had his only other wine, a Pinot Noir, and this was reasonable enough for me to buy a bottle, although I was probably buying it more for the entertainment value than anything.

Freycinet Vineyard

We decided to stop here because they had a sign out saying they sold Cherries. 

Whilst there it would have been rude not to taste their wines too, so I tried a few.

They had a good selection of wines and I particularly enjoyed their Pinot Noir although decided not to buy any and stick with the cherries.

Coles Bay round trip via Bicheno, St Marys, Campbell Town

After breakfast in our apartment (and seeing a micro-lite fly overhead) we headed North along the coast and further up the Tasman Highway.  Our first stop was in Bicheno which is a lovely sea-side town where we saw the blowhole - although it was more of a squirt on a day with very little surf.

We then travelled further up the Tasman Highway and turned off to drive inland through Elephant Pass to the quiet town of St Marys.  This was a beautiful drive through the hills and with the windows down on the car we could smell the eucalyptus and hear the birds in the trees.  We contemplated stopping at  the Mt Elephant Pancakes shop just east of St Marys but decided it was a little early for lunch (approximately 11am), and  instead opted for an ice coffee at the Purple Possum Wholefoods and Cafe in St Marys that was excellent.  The staff running the shop were also very relaxed and friendly.

From St Marys we headed further inland on the Esk Highway and filled up the car in Avoca.  The service station consisted of really old petrol pumps and the owner came out and filled the car and had a chat.  He was very friendly and gave us directions on how to get back to Coles Bay which was via Campbell Town.

Campbell Town was bigger than we expected and an excellent stopping point for lunch at Cafe 100 where I had a decent sized burger and Jane had an excellent antipasto platter she thoroughly enjoyed.  This was the hottest part of the day and a dry 28˚ Celcius heat.

From Campbell Town we took the B34 which meant we were heading  towards the coast again and stopped off at Lake Leake (because we could).  The water here actually looked a little swampy but the area was very peaceful.

We eventually connected back with the Tasman Highway and stopped at four vineyards along the way back to Coles Bay; one of which there was a sign outside saying “Honk for attention” and the driveway was more apt for a 4WD.  We must have travelled 200-300km today but it was enjoyable.