Tasmania is a beautiful part of Australia – we only explored Launceston, Derby, Tamar Valley and Cradle Mountain areas but I’ll definitely be back to explore more of the state.

Day 1 – Launceston/Derby

We arrived to Launceston in the morning, got our rental car and headed to the city. We went to Tinka Coffee Brewers and had brunch. I had the chicken halloumi salad which was great.

We drove approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to Derby. The girls did their floating sauna experience whilst I walked around the lake which was around 2km, then cooled down with a swim in the lake afterwards.

We then drove to Brigport where we got an ice cream and walked along the beach.

For dinner, we went to Cataract on Paterson. We shared the scallops and oysters and I got the market fish with vegetables which was good.

Day 2 – Tamar Valley Wine Tour

We got picked up by Curly our guide and driver at 11am and headed towards our first winery, Hinton Bay. This winery is a small family owned winery and the views from the tasting room over the lake were beautiful. We tried their Chardonnay and pinot noir which both were delicious.

The next stop was The Ducks where we had lunch. I had a glass of sparkling and the crumbed scallops with chips and salad.

We headed to Tamar Ridge where we tried two different sparklings, a Riesling and some reds.

Turner Stillhouse where we had a gin tasting and short distillery tour and I also had a frozen gin cocktail at the bar which was delicious and so refreshing.

Our last winery was Velo where we tried a number wines which were good.

After the wine tour, Curly dropped us off at Cataract Gorge which was stunning! We enjoyed our wine and cheese there and relaxed there for a while. I’d love to come back to explore more of the gorge.

We then went to Saint John for some beers and more drinks. For dinner, we went to Mud Bar. We shared some wine, oysters and I had the prawns for the main.

Afterwards, we went to Havilah, a wine bar for more drinks and met some of the locals we met at Saint John earlier.

Day 3 – Drive and Stops to Cradle Mountain area

Today we made our way towards Cradle Mountain with a few stops along the way. The first stop was Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm Cafe and as the name suggests is a raspberry farm and cafe. I bought the chocolate covered raspberries which were great (but on the expensive side) but the other girls had a food at the café and they said it was average at best, so I don’t recommend eating here. Grab a drink and the chocolate raspberries instead.

Our second stop was Ashgrove Cheese. I had the mini cheese tasting which was $12 and it was great to try 6 of their cheeses. I’d recommend sharing this with at least one other person as the portion was decent.

Our third stop was Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary. Here we did a 1pm tour where we were introduced to the bear wombat, eastern and spotted quolls and the Tasmanian devils. You can also see the kangaroos roaming about and we saw various birds and echidnas.

Our fourth stop was at a pub called Wandering Trout for a late lunch where we had a few small plates and a beer.

We stayed in an Airbnb in Tullah and went to the pub next door, Tullah Tavern and had the biggest chicken parmigiana for dinner. It’s huge so best to share.

Day 4 – Cradle Mountain and Mount Murchison

The next morning we left Tullah at 7:30am and arrived at the visitor centre at 8:10am. We bought a nationals parks pass ($80 for a car but other options are here) and then caught the first bus down to Dove Lake. There are 4 bus stops before Dove Lake which is the last stop.

The Dove Lake walk is a 6km circular walk around the lake with stunning views of Cradle Mountain. The signs say 2-3 hours but it only took me around 1 hour and 25 minutes with photo taking and food breaks (I am a fast walker!) There are some inclines but it’s a very easy walk and everyone is able to do it.

After, we drove back towards Tullah where Louisa and I started Mount Murchison. It is approximately 3km up and it is very steep most of the way up and towards the top there are many exposed parts and the trails aren’t marked well. Hiking boots or very good gripped runners are a must and if the weather isn’t great, I would not recommend doing it as it can get dangerous.

Luckily we had an amazing day and it took us 3.5 hours round trip. Again, we are fast hikers but the sign says to factor in 5 hours. The views were stunning from every direction and at the top, you had a 360 degree view.

In the evening, we had dinner and drinks at the airbnb, relaxed and played card games.

Day 5 – Drive Back to Launceston

We drove 1 hour 40 minutes to House of Anver, a chocolate store and factory. We enjoyed a hot chocolate there before heading back to Launceston city.

We had our last lunch at Geronimo which was great. We shared a bottle of sparkling rose and pinot gris and for food we shared the oysters, crab and corn ravioli, octopus, king fish crudo, lobster spaghetti and lamb shoulder which were all delicious.

It was an amazing trip filled with good food, wine, hiking and company! I’d love to come back to visit Hobart, Bruny Island and explore more of the east coast!