lived in Melbourne for 4 years and have yet to make the Great Ocean Road trip. I totally jumped at the chance as A: I adore travelling for work and B: having never been to Tassie before at the time. Even though it's always been so close, we never visit the places on our doorstep, do we?
The plan in mind was for me to be paired with a Tassie-based blogger who would work with Debbie and Tourism Tasmania to put together a fantastic three-day food and drink tour for me, covering three different areas of Tassie in and around Hobart, and visit the people and experiences on offer to visitors to these beautiful parts of Australia.
To give me a first-hand tour from a 'local in the know'. It all sounded enjoyable and exciting, and I felt chuffed and blessed to be given such a unique experience :)
This local blogger turned out to be the gorgeous Michelle Crawford. I read Michelle's blog from time to time. I was aware of her styling skills via various people we mutually know in the photo and food industry. Still, I had never actually met her in person. So was instantly excited to find out Michelle was to be my guide. BTW ~ wait until you see her house, which I will feature in pics on my 'Day 3' post, which will upload next week. I was gob-smacked walking around it and experienced massive house envy...
This is an article I wrote for the blog for a Tourism Tasmania’S ‘Go behind the Scenes’ campaign. I was offered the opportunity to spend a few days in Tasmania touring and experiencing what Hobart and its surroundings provide.
Ergo, flights were booked, accommodation sorted by Debbie, and I flew out of Sydney at 6pm Tuesday evening, landing in Hobart at 8pm ~ an easy-peasy 2-hour flight which was smooth sailing and enjoyable. After a quick 20-minute taxi ride from the airport, I arrived at the beautiful Henry Jones Art Hotel in Hobart. To my surprise, I was generously upgraded to a suite. Woohoo! Happy days! :)
After off-loading my gear in the room, I headed down to the bar and had a lovely chat with a fantastic, hipster-looking barman who was accommodating and friendly ~ the same as the blokes were at the check-in desk ~ efficient and friendly. Really attentive but not overly in-your-face and sickly-nice as some hotel staff of this calibre can sometimes be.
After a great night's sleep and breakfast at the Henry Jones, I packed my gear and headed down to the lobby to meet up with Michelle, who was super warm and friendly, and I knew straight away we'd hit it off like a house on fire for our little 3-day adventure.
Kicking things off, we met Mary McNeill, who runs a great little tour company in Hobart called Gourmania Food Tours at a LOCAL cafe/restaurant.
As we chatted, it came to light that I knew very little of Tassie as we discovered it, I thought (somewhat mortifyingly!) Hobart was up the top end of Tassie ~ where Launceston is (the latter, which I thought was down the bottom)… *duh!*. Mary kindly whipped out a massive fold-out map from her bag, gave me a little one-on-one about the geography of Tasmania, and showed me that I was a little more east and just a 'tad' more south than I actually thought I was.
Mary outlined some of the places we would be visiting on her tour. She told me to hold off having any brekkie as first-up on our itinerary was a stop at a cheese shop (at 9.30am ~ cheese for brekkie = fantastic!) followed by, wait for it… a whiskey tasting session at 10am… Jeepers! A first even for me as a good, whiskey-loving Irish woman, but what a fantastic first! Tassie, I thought, I think I am starting to like you a lot :)
This store was totally GORGEOUS... I adored it from the second I saw it through the windows standing outside. I joked, "Mary, don't bring me in here ~ I'll want to buy utterly everything!".
It was full of the most beautiful clothes and homewares, all crafted in stunningly beautiful natural linens and kinds of cotton and natural fibres. Most with a Japanese edge and influence ~ especially so with the clothes on offer. There were simple yet striking silver and gold jewellery; stuffed toys; purses; wallets; bags; children's clothes and gifts; cushions; throws; ceramics; and so much more. I felt like a child in a sweet shop. Still, as I knew I was pushed for time and after taking some shots in the shop, I book-marked it for a definite return visit on Saturday when I had a little more time to peruse the store in a more leisurely manner.
The Maker is owned by Leonie Struthers, who makes her LJ Struthers label in her studio in the Salamanca Art Centre building upstairs.
At this charming little cheese shop, slap-bang in a little quaint arcade area of the (gorgeous) Salamanca area of Hobart, the lovely shop manager: Tori, talked to me, Mary and Michelle through all the cheeses on offer, all of which were really subtle in flavour and really very tasty. As a total cheese fanatic, it was great to sample such an incredible, locally-produced range. My fave was a washed-rind called OEN (from the word oenology).
It is an actual labour of love; a washed-rind, cow's milk cheese, washed in Pinot Noir before being wrapped in vine leaves to be carefully matured. The vine leaves protect the cheese and create a moist surface encouraging flavour development. When mature, the OEN's rind becomes pungent, and the texture becomes soft and fudgy. I am not a massive fan of washed-rind cheeses, opting more so than not for harder cheddars, but this one was really quite fab. Michelle bought a piece for us both to share that evening for our little cheese and meat picnic we accumulated over the day at our cosy accommodation in the hills about an hour south of Hobart.
After taking a few snaps and perusing all the gorgeous cookbooks for people to view outside the cheese shop on a beautiful old tinder bench, it was a super quick 2-second walk to a little shop across the arcade to...
Woohoo! It's always 12pm somewhere in the world. So time for a Tassie Whisky tasting experience...
At Lark, we met Bill Lark, who revolutionised distilling in Australia - I had no iota that the whisky industry was so prevalent in Tassie. Bill had an excellent set-up laid out for us on our arrival in his cosy tasting room. Complete with four different whiskeys to try, ranging from 43% to 58% proof (!) and a sumptuous cheese platter to accompany ~ and all at 10am in the morning, I thought, "Hello ~ welcome to Tasmania and its great, chilled out attitude to all things food and drink". I thought it was brilliant and realised again how fortunate I was to experience all this town had to offer from a foodie perspective.
Bill Lark realised everything you need for a world-class whisky in Tasmania - rich barley fields, an abundance of wonderfully pure soft water, highland peat bogs, and the perfect climate to bring all the ingredients together, a marriage of science, art and passion. The vision of producing Tasmanian malt whisky was born on a trout fishing trip in the highlands of Tasmania. Bill's told us how his father-in-law Max made an excellent bottle of single malt. As they enjoyed a drink in the park at Bothwell, surrounded by Georgian buildings, barley fields and the gentle flowing of the Clyde River, Bill remarked to Max, "I wonder why there isn't anyone making malt whisky in Tasmania". Note ~ in Tassie, they spell it minus the 'e' in the Scottish manner, the opposite as is done with Irish Whisk'e'y,
Lark Distillery is a family affair. Lyn and Kristy Lark (Bill's wife and daughter, respectively) have played an integral part in growing the business. When Kristy joined the team as a head distiller, she was one of the world's youngest female distillers. Women are known for their ability to distinguish flavours better than men. This superior talent in both Lyn and Kristy has given Lark products a notable edge.
Today the Lark Distillery is one of Australia's leading distilleries, producing high-quality, premium spirits using traditional, time-honoured methods. The Distillery runs an 1800-litre copper pot and a 500-litre heart still. It makes ten to twelve 100-litre barrels per month. The range of distilled products includes the flagship Single Malt Whisky, Premium Vodka, Gin, and TASI aromatic bush Liqueur.
So with a relatively decent and somewhat merry spring in our step, it was time for some sweet stuff to counteract the 60% booze. We were off to...
Pigeon Whole Bakery is run by owner/baker Jay Patey, a charming, amiable, and welcoming guy. Jay met with us at this new, spotless and very impressive bakery where he and his wife Emma have made a unique name in the Hobart food scene. They are famed for their sourdough apple doughnuts, a delight to sample, and all the wonderful baked goodies Jay produced for us trees to try. (P.S. I LOVED their really cool logo and graphics).
So next up, a few more sweet delights at a coffee house and lunch house...
Here you can experience amazing salads, healthy brunch/lunch options, and some incredible rocky road desserts... housed in a gorgeous building with a brilliant shop at the front selling some great books, homewares and gourmet goodies.
NOTE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS NOW CLOSED, WHICH IS A SHAME AS IT WAS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PLACES DURING MY STAY IN TAS. I THOUGHT THE FOOD AND INTERIORS WERE BOTH INCREDIBLE.
I was blown away by the decor and feel of the place. The oldest part of the building was constructed around 1820 and served as the stable yard and carriageway of The Old Hobart Hotel. Tasmania's oldest plumbed toilet (dated to 1900) and a hand-sawed 1820's weatherboard wall are originally intact. After the Old Hobart Hotel was demolished in 1830, a new building that now faces Elizabeth street was erected and served as Ash Chemist and Druggist. One of this restaurant's most striking features was the funky old vintage glass bottle chandeliers which I was really taken with.
THE ALABAMA HOTEL
A super funky, trendy little hotel, beautifully decorated and fitted out in as kitsch and cool a manner as you can imagine. A real hidden gem in Hobart for visitors searching for a cheap, inviting, clean and friendly place to stay. Rooms are all decorated superbly with uber-cool cushions and retro decor. The bathrooms are communal but are very clean and very well presented. The vibe is laid-back and funky, and the next time I visit Hobart, this will be my choice of accommodation. I can only imagine the fun in the bar and adjoining balcony later at night.
Here we met Kelly Cloake, part owner with partner Aedan Howlett ~ Aedan is an artist (he can also brew beer and make whisky!). Aedan designed the label on the Seven Sheds beer we tasted, The Black Inca, made by Willie Simpson in Railton with organic oats and toasted quinoa from Kindred Organics and a good dose of Peruvian chocolate.
I am not a massive fan of stout-style beer (blasphemy, I know, as an Irish woman), but I found this brew a little to my tastes. After sipping it and savouring it, I could detect an odd and pleasantly good cherry flavour.
Finally, what do we need after all that cheese, whisky, pastries, rocky road, coffee and more coffee... yep, you guessed it... lunch...
OK, I'll be honest, I was fit to burst at this stage and resigned myself to the fact I might skip any more food seeing it was still before 1pm, however when we got to our final location of the tour, I found it hard not to change my mind and think "Bugger it, I'm only here once, lap it up and go all out, the diet can start next week..."
This brings us to Pilgrim, and ironically possibly my favourite foodie find of the day and my entire trip...
Why? because of the really fantastic venue, excellent coffee, charming staff.. and the fact I ate alpaca. Yes, that's correct. Alpaca.
Some people won't eat alpacas because they think they are "fluffy and cute", but I say they are the same as sheep, aka lamb, which I love. They taste fantastic when slow-roasted in Peruvian-style spices for 12 hours, which Pilgrim do! Soft, tender, fall off the bone crazy good. All were served with quinoa, beetroot puree and sheep's milk feta cheese which was incredibly creamy and subtle.
This was the highlight dish of my trip. And at the weekend, I went back for seconds for lunch. I also tried their Tasmanian Mushrooms with Soft Polenta, Gremolata, Buckwheat, Hazelnut and Rye which was finished off with two Slow Eggs... sublime. And as an additional treat, our waiter Matt presented us with a dish consisting of Honey Glazed Pear with touted Brioche, Walnuts and Seeds, which is loved and made me walk away feeling inspired.
After lunch, Michelle and I bid farewell to Mary. We made our way down to the ferry port, where we grabbed the super slick and crazy excellent ferry to Mona. A museum I knew little of other than all the rave reviews, so many people have told me about in Sydney. So I was really looking forward to seeing what all the hype was about.
From the minute we stepped onto the ferry, I knew this would be an experience to remember. Amazingly fitted out in an entertaining, graphic and eccentric manner ~ in a good way, there is a VIP area you can access for a few more $'s, which gives you free drinks and a plush lounge to chill out en route the museum. But other parts of the ferry are just as cool and offer the same views on your approach.
Once you arrive at MONA, be warned, you will have to clamber up 99 steps - yes, 99, to be precise, not 100, 99. Inside you will be blown away. Michelle nor I was allowed to take any shots within the museum due to artist copyright laws. Still, I can only attest if you go to Hobart, you simply MUST vista MONA. It was the total highlight of my trip. And, like Pilgrim, I returned on Saturday for a second helping when I had some free time to myself.
MONA is undoubtedly the best art gallery I have visited, whether in AUS or overseas. The exhibitions are fun, forward-thinking, graphic, mind-boggling, thought-provoking and crazy fun and exciting. I will say a little more, as you have to experience it first hand, without preconceived notions or ideas. But prepared to go with an open mind and be ready to be blown away visually and mentally.