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Being an island cast off the bottom of Australia means we're not your typical destination. We have a few odd quirks, some cracker secrets and a handful of locals (some furry) that are waiting to meet you. Why should you visit? Well, we've gathered a few reasons...  1. Because where else can you play a game of footy on a gravel field but Queenstown? Hurting knees since 1895.  2. Or frolic through the world's largest privately owned lavender farm?  3.Where can you meet cows that understand branding? They're our quiet ambassadors.  4. Where's better to eat an apple than the Apple Isle? Our apples are ripe for the picking - straight from the tree out the back door if you're staying at the Foxhole in Woodbridge.  5. Where can you bellow at the top of your lungs and not get a knock on the door? Our Jurassic-like South West landscape feels seemingly forgotten by the rest of the world.  6. How often do you get met by a face like this? Our locals are friendly....  7. Some almost small enough to pack in your case...  8. And others a little bit special.  9. Where else do farmers utilise push bikes? Some think we're a bit old-fashioned...but pedal power has made a come back.  10. How often do you come across someone who loves their job this much? Plus carries your lunch.  11. And where else have you finished a bushwalk and arrived to a linen-topped table, oysters and Tasmanian champagne?  12. In these parts, the traffic jams are manageable.  13. But sometimes you might prefer to walk....  14. It's not hard to find a quiet lunch spot in the great outdoors....like Pirates Bay Lookout.  15. Or perched up The Blade overlooking Tasman Island for the more adventurous...  16. Some have even been spotted enjoying a pizza pontoon-style.  17. And when winter comes our capital lights up...Dark Mofo and bon fires and festivals in orchards will keep you warm.  18. You'll be spoiled with art....that you don't necessarily have to understand...  19. But visiting a gin lab might make sense of everything....under the watchful eye of Master Distiller Bill McHenry.  20. There are many paths to take in Tasmania but we guarantee yours will be a hoot!  We have one beautiful backyard.
Come join us :) Words & images: Alice Hansen The crisp night air has arrived and the buzz around Hobart winter is just as palpable. Once a season of hibernation, today it's about festivals, cosy whisky bars and even singing to apple trees. These are our top picks for Hobart and surrounds.  The Whaler - Salamanca 1. Pull up a pew beside The Whaler’s crackling open fire, the same cosy pub whalers returned to from 1829 for payment and an ale. Just make room for the chef to place his fire pot over the flames….slow cooked beef cheeks in red wine anyone?  Bentwood Coffee  Cubed Espresso 2. Wrap your mitts around a hot chocolate with a view from Cubed Espresso at Pirates Bay Lookout or Bentwood Coffee on your way up kunyani/Mt Wellington. Both parties deliver warm drinks with rosie-cheeked winter smiles from their mobile outposts.  Dark Mofo  Dark Mofo 3. Festivals have re-invented winter here….no more hibernating until warmer climes. Sign up for a Dark Mofo nudie dip or find yourself singing to apple trees at the Huon Valley Midwinter Festival. Both options entirely normal.  Pumphouse Point 4. Snuggle up at one of our boutique stays like Montacute – where fluffy Made in Tasmania throws, open fire and snow-capped mountain views come standard. Well we can’t promise the snow but we can assure a toasty warm welcome and stay. Then there’s the Hayloft, Hobart’s latest city pad, stylish Arthouse Salamanca, 55 Davey, Villa Howden, Henry Jones Art Hotel or Pumphouse Point further afield, designed to showcase Tassie’s wild winter theatrics.  Lark Distillery  McHenry's Distillery 5. What better time of year to sink into a lounge with a nip of single malt made by the Godfather of Australian whisky, Bill Lark. Whisky lounge bars and new distilleries are popping up all over and Drink Tasmania can take you to those beyond the capital including None Such, McHenry Distillery, Shene Estate and more. Gourmania Food Tours also do a great breakkie tour that includes a sneaky visit to Lark.  Agrarian Kitchen 6. Find yourself in an old school house! Head for the hills of Lachlan and under the watchful eye of Agrarian Kitchen’s Rodney Dunn learn the art of Winter Braising or Cooking with Truffles. Beyond the south, of course there are other wonderful cooking school options including Kiss A Fish and Red Feather Inn.  Three Capes Track - Tasman Island from Cape Pillar 7. Rough it in a rustic hut! For around $10, toast marshmallows and overnight in a Government Hut at Mt. Field. Drop into Waterfalls Café as well as The Drill Hall Emporium and Fly Wheel on your way home. Great for snowy day walks around the Tarn Shelf or take on Tasmania’s latest multi-day walk, the Three Capes Track....already hailed the country’s premier coastal walk.  Theatre Royal 8. When night falls early, Hobart does dinner and a movie/show with panache. Slip into a warmly-lit restaurant on the North Hobart strip for a-few-steps commute to the elegant State Cinema. Or fancy up for a night at the Theatre Royal, Australia’s oldest continually operating theatre after dining at Aloft or Small Fry. Don’t forget Mona have a cinema tucked away too, aptly named Cinemona.  Port Arthur  Bangor 9. Head out on a ghost tour in the misty night air at Port Arthur Historic Site. Follow the lantern light and see where it leads. Be sure to drop into Bangor Wine and Oyster Shed on the way. You'll find another inviting wood fire there and of course wine and oysters!  Ratho Farm  10. Play a round on Australia’s oldest golf course and follow it up with an overnight stay at Ratho Farm. Just know that there’s a roaring log fire in the homestead that’s difficult to leave.  Hobart Twilight Market 11. Between Salamanca Market, The Market Hobart, Twilight Market, Farm Gate Market and the Brooke Street Pier there are enough stalls showcasing handy local Tasmanians to fill a full winter. Keep an eye out for Hartshorn's sheep's whey vodka, Domaine Simha, Dick and Dora, Elliott My Dear at the pier and Bury Me Standing's coffee window.  12. Take in the view from Mt. Nelson Signal Station Café. On crisp, clear winter evenings the stars are bright up here and if you're lucky it's the ideal location to view an aurora.....or any spectacular beams lighting up the night sky during Dark Mofo. Who knows what Hobart winter may bring.  Want to plan your own Tassie escape? Order a Tailored Tasmania book before May 15 and receive one complimentary for a friend. Click here for two-for-one winter warmer.
Words and images: Alice Hansen |
TAILORED TASMANIAYour launch pad for exploring Tasmania like a local. Archives
December 2020
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