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 way

I may well be the most excited person alive this morning! After five weeks away on a course for work (back on weekends) J suggested I might like to have the October long weekend to myself. He didn't have to say that twice.

I immediately started research. Yoga retreat. No. Spa resort type thing. No. Sewing workshop. No. Maybe a cooking school! Yes!!! I had remembered that on Matthew Evans' Gourmet Farmer show on SBS last week* he featured The Agrarian Kitchen in Tasmania. Their website showed that the Saturday class was all full so I called the lovely Severine and with a wait list of four I thought it fairly unlikely I get to learn about the agrarian way.....

A little while later I had a call on my mobile from Severine saying that if she got the numbers she'd run a Sunday class and wondered if I'd be interested! Needless to say I raced off to book flights and sort out accommodation with friends in Hobart.

Another bonus is that I have accommodation with friends, they are going to lend me their car and I have booked flights using points. I only have to come up with the cost of the cooking class for my weekend away to be complete... And pretty guilt-free.

If you haven't got plans for next weekend and you would consider a class at The Agrarian Kitchen make sure you give them a buzz. I'll be sure to report back about the day.... and the weekend away sans children.

"An agrarian mind begins with the love of fields and ramifies in good farming, good cooking & good eating." Wendell Berry

* Gourmet Farmer Episode 5: this would have had to be one of the most compelling pieces on food tv ever. Matthew Evans had two guests who demonstrated, what they believed to be, the most humane way to kill a chook to eat. It is not for the faint hearted but I would challenge every meat-eater to watch it. I think we have such a disconnect with our food and where it comes from. For a while after watching I felt I should become vegetarian but I guess choosing to stick to a diet with meat I can conjure up the image of the chicken when I do eat meat and really appreciate the sacrifice the animal has made.

Interestingly I was watching Gourmet Farmer with my grandmother and after the women's demonstrations and moments prior to Matthew Evans beheading one of his own chooks (with such a sober look on his face) my grandmother quickly changed channels. She didn't want to watch another chook losing its head. Flicking through the channels she came to Jamie Oliver carving up a steak and I could see her relax as she settled down to watch. I did comment that a cow did make the same sacrifice (in much worse conditions) before he arrived on Jamie Oliver's chopping board.