South-east
Five-day round-trip from Devonport to Hobart via Freycinet and Great Lake.
Distance: 772km
DAY ONE /
It’s more than three hours’ drive to Coles Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula from Devonport so head straight from the Spirit of Tasmania terminal for Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm Cafe, near Deloraine, for an amazing raspberry inspired breakfast. When you reach the East Coast, detour north to Freycinet Vineyard. When you get to Freycinet Peninsula you’ll still have time to take the short but steep walk to the lookout high above Wineglass Bay, one of the world’s most picturesque small beaches. If you want to linger (and you’ll want to), accommodation is available at the famous Freycinet Lodge.
DAY TWO /
Spend the morning sea-kayaking through turquoise water with Freycinet Adventures, then have lunch at Freycinet Marine Farm’s kiosk, feasting on freshly harvested oysters, mussels, and crayfish. Spend the night at Brockley Estate’s heritage accommodation at Buckland, where chef Chaxiraxi Afonso Higuera prepares Spanish-inspired feasts using Tasmanian produce.
DAY THREE /
It’s just under an hour and a half’s drive from Buckland to The Agrarian Kitchen in Lachlan where you can spend an unforgettable day at one of Rodney Dunn’s cooking classes. Later, head to Hobart and allow time for some pampering at the Savoy Day Spa before dinner at Franklin restaurant, where much of chef David Moyle’s cooking is based around a massive woodfired Scotch oven. Spend the night at the Hobart Grand Chancellor or Salamanca Wharf Hotel.
DAY FOUR /
Give yourself a good couple of hours to explore MONA, Hobart’s celebrated Museum of Old and New Art (go in with an open mind!). Then, on the journey north, stop in the historic village of Bothwell to visit the Australasian Golf Museum and play a game at Ratho Farm Golf Links, Australia’s oldest golf course, or take a guided tour of Nant’s whisky distillery and mill. Spend your final night at the Central Highlands Lodge in wild country beside Great Lake. It’s only an hour and a half from Hobart.
DAY FIVE /
Ask Central Highlands Lodge to organise a fly-fishing excursion for your final day then, with a trout or two in the car, make the two-hour drive to the ferry terminal, leaving early enough to make a stop at Ashgrove Cheese, just north of Elizabeth Town, which, as well as producing excellent dairy products, stocks a wide range of other Tasmanian fare to take home.