Our week in Tasmania was a delight. We were expecting a more rough-and-tumble, remote place, but instead found sophisticated tourist infrastructure, beautiful nature, and gourmet delights. On a map, relative to the Australian continent, Tasmania looks like a small island, say Nantucket. In fact, it is closer to the size of the State of Maine. In late March, the weather in Tasmania–late summer in Australia–was quite comfortable; Tasmania is regarded as the coldest place in Australia. We flew from Melbourne on an easy flight.

It’s Happening in Hobart

Hobart is a hotbed of activity for tourists–mostly from other coastal cities in Australia. Many follow the foodie trail and seek locally grown organic produce and wines, which are delicious. We were lucky to sample four of the restaurants on this list, and they did not disappoint. One evening, we dined at the 8:30 seating for the prix-fix menu at Templo (#3 on the list). We sat at a communal table, which was very jolly and friendly; lots of laughter. The next day, we had lunch at the Agrarian Kitchen (#2 on the list), and had the same waitress! She said, “Oh, didn’t I wait on you last night? You were at the Party Table!” We were glad that we had changed our clothes overnight! Both meals were terrific.

The Museum of Old and New Art–MONA 

As one of the best privately-owned museums in the world, MONA amazed us at every turn. The artwork and the building–which is mostly underground–are totally interdependent. None of the works in the museum would thrive in a conventional art museum gallery. The founder and benefactor–David Walsh–earned his money gambling. (No, that is not a typo. He does not own a casino, he gambles. Who said you cannot consistently beat the house!) We were enthralled with this waterfall that spells words based on the frequency of their use on the Internet:

Up Close and Personal

We had signed up in advance for a two-person James Turrell “Unseen Seen and Weight of Darkness” show in this sphere.

Inside the sphere, we lay on a bed and were bombarded by lights from every direction. As the website states:

These James Turrell artworks will push your perceptual limits. Climb in and hang on for your proverbial.

You experience the art in all different ways.  There are no signs or captions — but you hear from the artists on the audio guide.

Neither photos nor descriptions do MONA justice, so you’ll have to put it on your Bucket List!

National Parks of Tasmania

We were impressed by the beauty of two of the “Tasi” national parks

Freycinet encompasses miles of wild coastline, including scenic bays, beaches, and rock outcroppings. We hiked to the lookout for Wineglass Bay (with many other tourists).

And, we found a more remote spot, where we were only accompanied by one other couple (who gladly snapped our photo as we precariously balanced on the rocks).

The vistas were lovely.

In Cradle Mountain, we stayed in a mountain cottage and enjoyed hiking around Dove Lake.

After the hike, we “assumed the position”, and inspired this group of gals to do the same.

We loved both parks. Minimal traffic. Smooth road infrastructure. We rarely passed or encountered another car driving in either direction.

Boutique Gin in Tasmania

A recent New York Times article described burgeoning Tasmanian gin distilleries. We went to a gin tasting at Salamanca Society in Hobart and decided that Poltergeist Gin was our favorite of the four we tried.

Each taste was presented with recommended mixers–red pepper berries, grapefruit, orange–as well as a high-end tonic. Most certainly, the range of gin flavors goes well beyond Bombay Sapphire and Hendricks. The native botanicals of Tasmania give its spirits their distinctive tastes.

A Visit to A Distillery

On our last day, we visited the Shene Estate and Distillery to see how Poltergeist Gin is made and to purchase some to impress friends with our cocktails back home. What an amazing location and enterprise! Unlike on weekends when they sell from their “cellar door” along the highway, we got a special tour of the homestead which was built 200 years ago as a cattle station. The Kernke family has transformed it into a distillery, supporting a traditional distillation process with all the latest monitoring and control equipment.

Poltergeist has won a double gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition–who knew there is such a thing–for the last two years.

They had their fingers crossed for 2019, which is happening soon and inquired, when they learned we lived in San Francisco, whether we had influence over the judges. The hosts were very gracious; although we did note that the tour ended shortly after we gave our response.

And, Don’t Forget the Wineries

We also visited the gorgeous “cellar door” of Gala Estate, a fifth-generation family winery. The striking color combinations and textures of the walls in their small tasting room were determined based on what left-overs were available from the local paint merchant. Their wines weren’t bad either!

Meeting the Locals

No visit to Tasmania is complete without saying hello to the Tasmanian Devil of Bugs Bunny fame.  This species only lives on Tasmania and is endangered because many have contracted a rare cancer.  The ones we saw were cancer-free as they live on an isolated peninsula.

We also said “G’day” to a wombat.

And Jan couldn’t resist feeding a few ‘roos’.

What a Fun Week

We were sad when our Tasmanian week came to an end. We could definitely spend more time here — hiking in other parks, tasting more gin and seeking out other distilleries and wineries… and there is a burgeoning business of Tasmanian artisanal whiskey for those who prefer harder spirits.