5 reasons why you should go to Tasmania and escape Asia’s heat and humidity

Tasmania has nearly 5,000km of coastline so, naturally, the seafood is excellent and plentiful. It’s particularly famed for its oysters, but lobster, abalone and Tasmanian Blue mussels are also stellar. Don’t sleep on freshwater treasures either: trout and sea bream are particularly delicious.

The cheese offerings are also superb; the island’s high rainfall and clean air means lush pastures and happy herds of dairy animals. Ashgrove Cheese’s Pepperberry variety is what got me interested in travelling to Tassie in the first place (their wasabi cheddar is also ridiculously moreish); Bruny Island, an excellent all-round food destination just a short ferry ride from Hobart, offers highly seasonal varieties; and Grandvewe Cheeses, as might be guessed from the name, offers stunning vistas and cheese made from sheep (well, ewe) milk, all done using highly sustainable methods, which include repurposing the whey from cheesemaking into vodka and gin.

The island also proudly advocates for its native and local foods, some of which are unique to Tasmania: think pepperberry, kunzea and saltbush. Many restaurants take a broadly locavore approach, whether that means the ingredients are Tasmanian in general, or from the garden outside.

For a better understanding of native food, or “bush tucker”, the tour led by native food business Palawa Kipli tour in Hobart cannot be highly recommended enough. On the surface, it is a fascinating introduction to Tasmanian Aboriginal food, on Aboriginal land, led by Aboriginal people.

Far more importantly, it’s an illuminating, powerful, gob-smackingly sobering walk through history, culture, the atrocities committed against a Native people by colonialists, and the resilience of those people.

Some of our favourite restaurants to enjoy that locavore and/or proudly Tassie approach to cooking include Stillwater in Launceston—a Unesco City of Gastronomy; as well as the tiny, ten-seater Scholé, the airy, waterside Aloft, and hipster magnet Ogee, all in Hobart. 

Wine is a big, big deal in Tasmania. There are 160 individual wine producers, spread across 200-odd vineyards, with a focus primarily on pinot noir, chardonnay and riesling.

The combination of those first two grapes, plus the terroir—Tasmania’s cool climate, rich soils and 42 degrees south latitude, mirroring France’s Champagne region at 49 degrees north—mean the island offers a particularly spectacular range of sparkling wines.

Josef Chromy, Jansz and Clover Hill are (relatively) bigger names–but what is so refreshing about even these internationally known vineyards (and Australia in general) is how laidback a cellar door or tasting experience is. The highlight of a recent trip was an afternoon at Bellebonne with winemaker Natalie Fryar, whose passion for her craft translates into the enjoyment of the glass; the stunning setting doesn’t hurt.

Whisky is also an island speciality, with 70-plus distilleries—more than any other Australian state. The success is due in no small part to Tasmania’s almost painfully clean air and pure water; that the weather can feel distinctly Scottish is also key to the variety and quality on offer. If you’ve got time (and the willingness to take it in turns to play designated driver with your travel companions), consider following the Tasmanian Whisky Trail, an unofficial route among the dozens of distilleries.

But if time is short, there are plenty of options less than an hour’s drive from your base in Hobart or Launceston; and if it’s really short, Hobart city centre is home to Battery Point Distillery, as well as cellar doors for Callington Mill Distilleries and Australia’s oldest whisky distiller, Lark.

Tasmania is made for adventures. As you might hope of an Australian state with significant coastline, there’s plenty of surfing to be had. But there is so much more to do on the island if you are of an active bent.

The many rivers and bays provide excellent kayaking opportunities, from short tours of Kanamaluka (River Tamar) and Launceston’s waterfront to multi-day excursions around the Tasman Peninsula, whale-watching as you paddle. If that’s not enough of an adrenaline boost, there’s white water rafting a-plenty, including a roughly 100km journey along the Franklin River, a wild, virtually untouched waterway.

All those bodies of crystal-clear water also mean a plethora of top fishing spots, giving Scotland a run for its angling money, while the caves formed around and below them offer the chance to explore limestone formations, thermal springs and glow-worm caverns.

There’s golf and mountain biking, rock climbing, abseiling and sailing—the legendary Sydney to Hobart yacht race is one of the world’s most prestigious—and simply being out in nature. There are gentle walks on empty beaches, through historical cities, along riverbanks, or up Kunanyi (Mount Wellington) for spectacular views of the capital.

You can retrace ancient footsteps around the state’s northeast coast over four days, led by Palawa guides who share thousands of years of knowledge. And then there are proper hikes: up or around one of Tasmania’s 400 mountains, through rainforests, over waterfalls, or along an entire coast.

And if you identify more as “outsidey, not outdoorsy”, there are plenty of lower-energy activities on offer. Tasmania is increasingly known for its truffle farms, where you can dig up your own black gold; there are lavender farms; and if your interests lean more fauna than flora, head to a wildlife sanctuary like Bonorong or the Unzoo and come face to face with the likes of Tasmanian Devils, wombats, kangaroos and echidnas.

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And if even that sounds like too much effort, the island is now home to a plethora of saunas, with purpose-built facilities set among forests, on beaches, overlooking vineyards or, in the case of Kuuma, floating in North West Bay, just south of Hobart—your cold plunge is off straight off the back of the vessel into the open water.

And then there are the Southern Lights, or Aurora Australis, which you’re even more likely to spot in wintertime. Enough said.

The island state is home to some truly beautiful hotels. Some celebrate adaptive reuse and heritage protection; others are just—there’s no other word for it—cool. Here are some of Tatler’s top picks.

Peppers Silo is a great base from which to explore the historic town of Launceston. It’s set in a 1960s former grain silo and, once you get over the slight business-hotel vibes, you appreciate the property’s unusual charm. The rooms are done out in industry-lite, with concrete and recycled Tasmanian timber features, many with river views and, if your room is in the actual silo part, rounded walls.

If you prefer something smaller, Kurrajong House Bed & Breakfast offers just six guest rooms in a renovated 1870s house set within a historic quarter of the town.

Hobart, the state capital, is home to Australia’s second-oldest port, and as such, there is plenty of water-facing accommodation to choose from. Set in a renovated shipping shed, MACq 01 Hotel, which prides itself on being a—if not the world’s first—storytelling hotel.

Each of its 114 rooms is dedicated to a famous Tasmanian; those rooms with expansive, terraces overlooking the water are very, very difficult to leave—especially when you factor in the deliciously moody bathrooms with deep soaking tubs.

For an even more wintry vibes, stay at The Tasman, and its three distinct vibes. It’s set across three different buildings: an 1840s sandstone former hospital, an art deco section, and a new, glass-tastic wing built specifically for the hotel’s 2022 opening. Tatler’s tip: book a room in the Heritage wing with a fireplace. The ultimate cosy treat.

History buffs should check out Lenna of Hobart, set in a listed sandstone edifice completed in 1874. Rooms offer harbour, mountain and park vistas, while the penthouse serves up a 360-degree panorama of the city.

And just 25 minutes away from the city, in the Derwent Valley, is The Woodbridge, a boutique rooms-only hotel set in an 1825 building. While there isn’t an on-site restaurant, breakfast is available; there’s a bar, plus room service can be ordered from local restaurants. What’s more, there are vineyards, breweries and the world-renowned The Agrarian Kitchen all within easy reach.

If you have ever had an opinion about art; if you love it, hate it, think it’s a waste of time and money, or you invest in it regularly; or if you’re just curious about what a one-track mind can achieve, you need to go to Mona. One of the state’s biggest tourist attractions, the Museum of Old and New Art is a ferry ride away from downtown Hobart—treat yourself to a Posh Pit ticket and enjoy a glass of bubbles and some nibbles away from the riff-raff—which gives you time to mentally prepare for your arrival at the slightly James Bond villain-esque location and its, frankly, bonkers collections.

Founded and privately funded by multimillionaire professional gambler and Hobart native David Walsh, the subterranean Mona serves as something of a personal collection for the businessman; with no board to answer to and only his own money at stake (and he’s lost a lot of it), he fills it with often subversive works that take his fancy, and that other institutions may simply not dare to invest in—or show. (He also keeps it free for Tasmanian residents; the guy is nothing if not devoted to his home state.)

There’s Elektra, a recently opened Anselm Kiefer exhibit—a gargantuan, multilevel concrete structure that is effectively its own wing; several works by “master of light” James Turrell; the 46-metre-long Snake by Sidney Nolan, made up of 1,620 individual paintings; and Cloaca Professional, an installation piece by Wim Delvoye, which recreates the human digestive process—yes, it produces faeces.

This is the great thing about Mona. Not everyone will like everything; many people will hate much of it. But it will give you something to talk about for months to come. And if that doesn’t grab you, there are plenty of excellent eateries, including the fine-dining Faro, suspended over the river.

It serves superlative dishes created with often hyper-local produce—the salad leaves are picked from Mona’s gardens—with that rebellious nature present throughout the experience, from the performance artist who crawls around the floor, tying diners’ shoelaces together, to an appetiser that involves sucking tomato-saffron gelée off a porcelain mould of Walsh’s middle finger. Mona challenges you to come and not find something, or many things, to enjoy, be inspired by and talk about—rather like Tasmania itself.

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