Tasmania is not at all what we expected. It appears very un-Australian, though it’s the smallest Aussie state. Tassie, as the locals call it, has a cool climate, four seasons, deciduous trees, teahouses and Georgian-style manors and is much more reminiscent of the English countryside than what we’ve seen of the often bare and hot Australian mainland.
Tassie, an island off the southeastern coast of the continent, is about the size of West Virginia, but with only one-quarter of the population — 450,000. Due to its isolation in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s blessed with some of the cleanest air in the world. Settled by the British as a penal colony 200 years ago, it’s green and sometimes lush. It has fascinating animals — wombats, Tasmanian devils, koalas and wallabies — and 10,000-year-old trees. And it’s the last stop before Antarctica, 1,500 miles to the south.
Outside of the capital, Hobart, along with hundreds of miles of dramatic coastline, Tassie comprises uncrowded small colonial towns along two-lane roads in rolling countryside with no traffic jams, much less traffic lights.
TEA HOUSES AND A CHEESE FARM
We didn’t see any franchise restaurants in the small towns we passed through in a week of travels, though someone said there’s a McDonald’s somewhere on the island. Restaurants appeared to be family owned, the food is authentic, and the enterprising people are especially friendly. We saw more tea houses in Tassie than in England. A tea house is the old-fashioned version of today’s coffee shops, though the preferred drink is English tea and not an espresso or a Kenya Blend. One of our stops was the Old Ross Bakery and Tea House in the town of Ross. The day’s features were several English teas, hot cross buns and pies of all sorts, including meat, vegetable and fruit.
Another reminder of England is Ashgrove Farm Cheese, a company owned and operated by a Tasmanian family with cheesemaking learned in Britain’s Somerset.
Traditional English country cheeses, such as Cheddar and Lancashire, are cheesemaker Jane Bennett’s specialties. Strolling through her store in the days before Easter, we saw dozens of people shopping for Sunday’s feast and tasting the cheese samples. That’s where we discovered her Wild Wasabi — a favorite with Japanese clientele — Bush Pepper and, my favorite, the Red Chilli.
Ashgrove cheese is made from the family’s own 700 cows. Visitors can view the
cheesemaking and maturing area in the shop.
COTTAGES AND VINEYARD CHALETS
Corinda’s Cottages are located in one Hobart’s oldest areas. The now tranquil cottages were built in the 1850s and recently renovated as a bed and breakfast. We found our cottage practically museum quality with the owners’ careful attention to detail. Both cottages feature antique furniture and original fittings. Garden lovers will appreciate the English box hedges and lovely flower beds in front of the Corinda mansion. The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens with displays of exotic trees and a Subantarctic Plant House, among other exhibits, is not far away in Queens Domain in Hobart.
Our elegant two-story chalet at the Moorilla Estate Vineyard outside of Hobart cantilevered over the Derwent River, creating a private, peaceful retreat.
Each unit has a private wine cellar featuring more than 60 wines from the Moorilla and St. Matthias vineyards. And even more unexpected, each villa has antiquities ranging from stone mosaics from the days of the Roman Empire to gold and silver coins from Ancient Greece. In addition to the villas, the vineyard and a restaurant, Moorilla Estate also has a privately owned museum, the Moorilla Museum of Antiquities.
Tasmania is now home to more than 60 vineyards. The modern wine industry began in the 1970s here at Moorilla Estate Vineyard.
CRADLE MOUNTAIN AND BUSHWALKING
Cradle Mountain is a 5,069-foot mountain with jagged peaks in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park, and once you see it, you’ll know why it’s called that. It’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in Tasmania, especially for what the Tasmanians call bushwalking, and Northern Hemisphere residents label hiking or a walk in the woods. Tasmania, fully one-third of which is protected temperate rainforest, is a mecca for walkers from all over the world. Its most famous bushwalk is the Overland Track from Cradle Mountain to Lake St. Clair. The whole route is about 50 miles, and at an easy pace takes five to six days to complete.
The only accommodation in this park is the Cradle Mountain Lodge, a newly refurbished wilderness retreat with warm and comfortable cabins located among the eucalyptus trees. The lodge comes with friendly wildlife as well.
Someone in the restaurant spoke of the wallaby (small kangaroo) and possum by his cabin door when he walked out early one morning. The lodge’s dining room offers exceptional food, and a mountain buffet breakfast is included in the room tariff. A wine and cheese tasting is held every night with six Tassie wines and a selection of local cheeses, including some from Ashgrove Farm.
Lemonthyme Lodge, another mountain retreat a short drive away, offers another beautiful location with pleasant cabins.
Tasmania is a destination with fascinating charm, with its English-like countryside and its exotic bushwalking opportunities.
