tasmania: hobart

Hobart showed us that any kind of weather in Tassie is possible. Within the space of thirty minutes. Everyone we queried about the conditions insisted it wasn't usually this cold but changeable, yes. So we just packed for every kind of weather when we went out - hot, cool, windy, rainy. 

The changeable weather is not surprising given the mountain behind this beautiful city. I fell in love with Hobart. Again. I was here a few years ago for a cooking day at the Agrarian Kitchen (the first time I'd visited the city) and I was blown away, then, by the way the city seems to worship the Derwent, simply by hugging its edges. 

This time we made the obligatory trip to the Salamanca markets which I wouldn't recommend if you're travelling in a caravan, conscious of weight restrictions. I do love the Salamca Square though with its coffee, book shop & small stores for food and handmade goodness. We came home with six fillets of salmon for $20 too which have been cryovacced & frozen - ready for dinners. 

Dear friends took us to dinner at Smolt (famous for being Katie Perry's choice for dinner during her tour) but a great place for food too! I enjoyed my prawns & the wine was good. They, like so many Tassie restaurants, source bags of local produce. 

My daughter and I really enjoyed our morning walk along the beach near Bellerive. The mountain was shrouded in cloud but soon cleared. 

Hobart's Farm Gate Market is held on a Sunday and you can buy anything from wallaby fillets to mushrooms, bagels to blackberries, pies to cheese. We took home a beautiful Turkish loaf with black sesame seeds, fruit & bagels for lunch. 

We may have picked a day from kunanyi (Mount Wellington's) windiest week to ascend the peak. It was blowing a gale of close to 90km/hr but the view was simply spectacular. 

It seems that many Hobartians have a shack by the beach. We were lucky enough to stay in a friends place at Dodges Ferry which has a beautiful beach. It was busy over the long weekend but I wouldn't call it crowded by Sydney standards!

One morning we tired the kids out at the Hobart Aquatic Centre ($25 for a family). I lost count of the times the kids went on the water slide. They had a ball. 

Another day J took the big kids to the Rock It Climbing Centre. After four hours of continuous climbing and tunnelling they were exhausted! Apparently, because of his height, J had to remove his shoes to get around some parts of the tunnel. (That's my idea of hell!) 

What's a trip to Hobart without a visit to MONA? I won't say much more about this place other than you'll either love it or hate it. Just don't try going on a Tuesday. We had babysitters and arrived to find it closed. We had to go out to lunch instead. How awful! ;)

when in Hobart

My tips for in and around Hobart, Tasmania.
(the town where 'our' Princess Mary of Denmark grew up.)

1. Head to the Salamanca Markets. If you're there on a Saturday the markets are meant to be very good. The Salamanca Arts centre houses local produce and wares. At night this is the place to eat.

2. Try these places to eat in Hobart: Jackman and McRoss, Ethos, Garagistes, Pigeon Hole, Sidecar, a common ground, Lipscome Larder.

3 Take a walk through historical Battery Point and along through to Sandy Bay. It's stunning along the water and there's a good path (not wheelchair accessible though).

3. If you're 'into' arts/crafts/wares check out Geeveston's Southern Design Centre and Makers on Church Street. The Tourist Information Centre at Geeveston also sells some local products.

4. For the best apples pick up a 2 kilogram bag for about $2 from farm gates from around Huonville, Cygnet, Geeveston and Woodbridge. Don't do what I did and put it off and get to the end of the day and realize you haven't got any fresh apples yet! You can take them back across onto the mainland but you can't take fruit or veggies into Tasmania.

5. Best food in Cygnet was at Lotus Eaters. Red Velvet Lounge for a vino.

6. Take a drive up the Derwent River to Lachlan.

7. Recommendations from friends and fellow travelers included Bruny Island Car Ferry, Tasman Island, drive up Mount Wellington and, the Tahune Air Walk.

8. THE thing to do in Hobart in MONA - the museum of  old and new art. I couldn't fit it into my 3 day visit (& the weather was too good to be inside) but I'll be back. MONA is closed on Tuesdays.

I only had two and a half days and three nights in Hobart but you can see a lot in a short time. Be sure to check the opening hours of shops, cafes and restaurants as many places are not open every day.

huon valley tasmania

I had a day to spare before I flew home from Hobart. My first stop was Jackman & McRoss (interesting article) in the (Paddington like) upmarket Battery Point. My piccolo was good and although I was dubious about having a warm bread roll with butter and cream for breaky the bread was so fresh and the housemade Tassie raspberry jam so delicious I brought home a jar! It was only upon leaving that I noticed there was a second specials blackboard in the larger dining room. It was busy so I did have to wait a good five minutes to be served but it was all worth it and why not slow up for a bit and enjoy the moment?!

Salamanca Arts Centre is a short stroll from Jackman & McRoss and I was pleasantly surprised by the shops that run along the old wharf. Matthew Evans' shop 'a common ground' is stocked with local produce and little boutiques with homemade clothing are a must visit. The prices are what you'd expect from touristy shops though so browsing is not a bad option if you're watching your coins!

A friend lent me her (husband's) car so I took the Huon Highway down to theHuon Valley. With a quick visit to the Huonville Tourist Information Centre(thanks helpful Louise) I was on my way to apple country.

Geeveston was my first stop after getting some advice from the very helpful Louise at the Huonville Visitors Centre. Geeveston is a small town with a lot of history (that's Tasmania for you!. Not far from the Tahune Air Walk (I'm saving that for when we visit again with the children). The town boasts strong ties with the timber industry. I visited Makers on Church Street and the Southern Design Centre which both showcase local artisans. There's a platypus viewing platform within the town's reserve and the best times to catch a glimpse of a platypus are morning and late afternoon.

Back up the Huon Highway I turned at Huonville to head to Cygnet which is the closest town to Matthew Evans' Puggle Farm. It's a stunning drive through the countryside.

I do believe in fate. For some reason I 'needed' to head to Lotus Eaters and I found out once I arrived. I got talking to a couple of locals. I'd missed lunch so I ordered blueberry cheesecake & a piccolo. The locals were still devouring an enormous plate of curry and I mentioned I'd missed lunch. They kindly offered me some curry. I know this may sound odd but you can see why I said "yes please!"

We got talking and it turned out the gentleman was part of a family who lived near our property on the Far South Coast of NSW. Next thing I knew I'd accepted an invitation to their beautiful farm at Woodbridge. Takeaway cheesecake it was!

I couldn't have had this day of adventure if I wasn't traveling alone. Sometimes you get to experience gifts in life because you're in the right place at the right time and open to an adventure.

I returned to Hobart along the coast road in the early evening pleased with having made the most of the daylight hours and content with life.

the agrarian experience

I am back in Sydney after a brilliant few days in Tassie. The weather was good to me and I even toyed with the idea of one day living on our southern island. I could have explored for anther few days but domestics and parenting duties had me flying home.

Sunday morning began with the stunning drive to The Agrarian Kitchen. Gosh it really is stunning driving along the Derwent River. Even if you don't get to the cooking school make certain that if you ever visit Hobart that you take the short car trip to Lachlan.

Upon arrival at t.A.K. we were given our caffeine hit of choice and a slice of gluten free chocolate hazelnut cake. After cake we wandered through garden beds and collected the veggies we would need, eggs from the chooks and one from a guinea fowl, milked the goat. Rodney and Severine have a smoking house on site and Wessex Saddleback (?) pigs. We met Miss October the piggy who's heading to the abattoir this week. Throughout the morning we tasted herbs and veggies. I haven't tasted asparagus so sweet and I don't think I ever will!

With baskets full of produce we headed back to the kitchen where we spent the next few hours preparing our feast and learning a few handy techniques along the way. I put my hand up to make the frangipane tartlets because I haven't had instruction with desserts before. In retrospect I am glad I did. There were many elements to the dessert and the end result really was divine.

If I begin to describe everything we did during the Agrarian Kitchen Experience then my post will be too long. You only need to read a bit on their website and you get the gist of what Rodney and Severine are doing. It is the truest farm to plate practice. If you have time check out this YouTube clip with Rodney. The Agrarian Kitchen isn't like a commercial kitchen where hundreds of meals are being prepared and the pressure of getting them perfect dictates and because of this Rodney is a great mentor. He steps in when you need him and stands back when you don't.

If you'd like to see more of my pictures from The Agrarian Kitchen be sure to go here. I'm working on my next posts as I made the most of another day in Tasmania on the Monday and drove through the Huon Valley.