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Travelling in Tasmania is like being let loose on the world’s biggest buffet; and you’re going to have to get those steps up to a gallop to contend with the extra calories coming down the line!
From pillar to post, everything looks, smells, and tastes absolutely incredible — thanks predominantly to the island’s fabulous fresh produce and amazing seafood, but also lashings of innovation and a whole lotta love. Here, gourmet food producers take pride in what they make, and it shows; you can literally taste it in every bite.
If you have the budget, prepare to be dazzled by talented chefs pushing boundaries in the State’s many renowned restaurants. Upscale eateries across Tasmania include The Source at Mona, Franklin on the Hobart waterfront, Stillwater in Launceston, and New Norfolk’s The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery. But sampling the island’s bounty doesn’t have to mean spending a motza. You’ll find affordable taste sensations on offer in markets, delis, bakeries, cafes, farmgates, cellar doors, and the list goes on.
Here are eight of Tasmania’s most affordable gourmet experiences to get you started.
1. Sample the gourmet goodies on Bruny Island
It’s hard to believe that so much deliciousness could be squeezed into one small(ish) island, but there you have it. Situated 30 kilometres south-east of Hobart and involving a short ferry ride from Kettering, Bruny Island is one of the capital’s most popular day trip destinations. It’s a beautiful place to begin with, but we’re not here to coo over the views. The island hosts an array of gourmet providores, each more moreish than the last. Sample the wares of the Bruny Island Cheese Company (try the nutty Raw Milk C2 made from unpasteurised milk), Bruny Island Honey (special mention to the sweet scented light Summer Blossom variety), the Bruny Island Chocolate Company (did somebody say freshly made fudge?), and the delightful Bruny Island Raspberry Farm. We warn you now, you may never want to leave!
2. Browse the farmgates of the Huon Valley
Similarly, the idyllic Huon Valley makes an easy day trip from Hobart and offers access to a veritable cornucopia of wholesome delights. Bring a basket and some cash; this is serious farmgate territory — and from freshly picked cherries to beautifully bottled preserves, you’ll find yourself pulling over to the roadside numerous times to inspect the offerings. The Huon is also home to much of Tassie’s apple industry, and in recent years a boutique cidering scene has blossomed. Swing by popular Willie Smith’s Apple Shed in Grove to learn more. They offer cider tastings and have an onsite museum dedicated to all things apple.
3. Feast on fresh seafood in Freycinet
Up on the east coast, the ocean off Freycinet Peninsula isn’t just lovely to look at; it also yields some of the best seafood in Oz. Drop into the Freycinet Marine Farm just outside Coles Bay to sample reasonably priced local oysters, along with steaming blue sapphire mussels, delicate Tasmanian scallops, fabulous fresh prawns, whopping rock lobsters, and more. The Farm’s kitchen is open daily and only takes walk-ins. If you’re keen to see where the mollusc magic happens, throw on a set of waders and harvest your own oysters straight from the lease with Oyster Bay Tours.
4. Head for the Harvest Market in Launceston
There are lots of tasty reasons to visit Tassie’s second biggest city Launceston, and the weekly Harvest Market is certainly one of them! Drawing some 70 growers and producers to the centre of town on a Saturday morning, the market is solely focussed on food and boasts cheesemongers, sourdough bakers, pastry chefs, truffle farmers, winemakers, and more. Leave room (if you can!) for a pastry from nearby Bread and Butter — an artisanal bakery and small batch butter factory. We have no words.
5. Follow the north-west Tasting Trail
Lonnie makes a great base for tackling north-west Tasmania’s Tasting Trail — a self-drive pilgrimage past dozens of providores. And with names like Plump Berries, Blue Hills Honey, Leaping Goat Coffee, Dixie Blue Gelato, and the Ashgrove Dairy Door to tempt you, deciding which outlets to visit will be no mean feat! Special mention to the Anvers Chocolate Factory at Latrobe, which is housed in what faintly resembles a Swiss Chalet and offers generous tastings in their onsite store.
6. Go grape grazing in the Tamar Valley
Also on Launceston’s doorstep is the renowned Tamar Valley wine region, and here we suggest putting yourself in the hands of experts on a guided tour with Tamar Valley Wine Tours. They’ll take care of the driving as you sip and sup your way across the region (tastings and lunch with a glass of wine are included in the tour price). If you prefer to explore under your own steam, we recommend visiting Velo Wines (which does a sassy sparkling chardonnay), the rustic and organically certified Small Wonder Wines, and characterful Swinging Gate Vineyard — where minimal intervention is the mantra and everything is done by hand.
7. Try some top distilled drops
In recent years, Tassie has taken the world by storm with whiskeys, gins, and vodkas crafted from its pristine snowmelt waters. But what may surprise you to learn is that distilling was actually illegal right up until the 1990s! Legendary Bill Lark got the ball rolling and today the industry is killing it internationally. Learn more at The Still in Hobart, which is housed in part of the old Mercury newspaper building on Argyle Street and stocks product from every whiskey distiller in the State. Up in Devonport, Southern Wild Distillery offers a guided tasting of their Dasher and Fisher range of gins (named in honour of the rivers where the water used in production comes from).
8. Enjoy fresh fish and chips
Head to any Tassie town with a dock and you’ll likely see a fishing fleet to match. And no visit to the island would be complete without tucking into a serve of fresh fish and chips. Haute cuisine it ain’t; delicious it is! The floating outlets along Hobart’s Constitution Dock are always busy and the stiff competition keeps prices in check. Fish-shaped Flippers is a perennial fav, and the local population of garrulous seagulls will be more than happy to do quality control as needed.
Over in east coast fishing capital St Helens, Skippers serves sustainably sourced seafood from its floating digs. It’s a local institution, as is Hursey Seafoods in Stanley on the north-west coast. Sitting in the shadow of the famous Nut, it sports a giant lobster on the roof and a reputation for its fare to match!
This post was published thanks to Tasmania.com.
Browse our range of Tasmania tours and experiences here.
Do you have any suggestions to add to our list of Tasmania’s most affordable gourmet experiences? We would love to hear from you. Join the conversation on our Facebook page.
Additional images: Depositphotos, Bigstock, and Envato
About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas, and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger, and photographer. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. Adam worked as a travel consultant for a number of years with Flight Centre before taking up the opportunity to travel the world himself as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten. He loves to experience everything a new destination has to offer and is equally at home in a five-star Palazzo in Pisa or a home-stay in Hanoi.
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