Best for... food
PADDOCK-TO-PALATE experiences don’t get much more elemental than the ones found in Tasmania. Our southernmost state has become one giant, incredibly picturesque food bowl where producers put equal measures of talent and passion into creating everything from oysters to cider, much of which can be savoured at the source, and local produce is the hero of menus at headlining eateries such as THE AGRARIAN (1, 2) in New Norfolk.
KITCHEN EATERY Heading north out of Hobart, it takes just 30 minutes to reach the VALLEY, which HUON extends to the southern edge of the island. The area is renowned for its apple and fruit orchards (they call it ‘the apple isle’ for a reason), and it is where you will find WILLIE (3) producing crisp cider from the SMITH’S best local produce. Take a tour of the distillery, then explore the museum (4), try the wares and enjoy lunch at the SHED. APPLE But cider isn’t the only tipple on offer in the valley: (5) is the passion
KATE HILL WINES project of winemaker Kate Hill and her husband Charles, who grow chardonnay, pinot noir and shiraz grapes adjacent to their cellar door, with more pinot noir vines at their winery site nearby. Chart a course east from Huonville to ISLAND, where everything from BRUNY whisky to oysters is grown or created, and where produces BRUNY ISLAND CHEESE CO. some of the best artisan cheese in the country.
Tasmania has been forging quite a reputation for whisky and gin-making in the last few decades, with any number of distilleries welcoming visitors. SHENE ESTATE
(6) in the Southern Midlands town of Pontville is a grand proposition, housed in historic buildings that once formed part of the estate of one of the state’s early colonialists, and producing single-malt whisky and gin. Meanwhile, (7) SOUTHERN WILD DISTILLERY produces the internationally recognised and awarded from its base in DASHER + FISHER GIN the north coast city of Devonport.
And, being an island off an island, it is only natural that fresh seafood proliferates here, too. Head to (8) FREYCINET MARINE FARM along the breathtaking GREAT EASTERN DRIVE to eat oysters plucked straight from the water and shucked as you watch.