Taking advantage of a very slow early December, we booked a package trip to Tasmania. I had heard good things about the cool climate wines and green countryside. Other than that, I had no expectations.
There are no direct flights to Tassie from Auckland, so we had to fly first to Melbourne and then on to Hobart. About eight hours all up. Somehow, our baggage stayed in Melbourne so we did a wine tour the following day in our travel clothes from the day before. It was a cool, rainy day and we were not offensive as far as I know. (And I stole my wife’s hand cream as emergency hair gel.) Shhhhh…
Hobart is a port city, with many handsome Georgian era sandstone buildings dotted around the waterfront and CBD. Locals don’t dress up, possibly because of the unpredictable weather. It’s a bit like Melbourne without the funkiness. The locals are laid-back and friendly. One of the breakfast staff at our hotel loaned Mia her woollen coat for the day after hearing of our luggage woes. Hobart is the same latitude as Wellington. Temperatures were in the mid-20s. The whole of Tasmania has a population of 570,000, with greater Hobart at 250,000.
Our first wine tour was to the Southern Wine Trail near Hobart, where we visited Nocton, Pooley and Frogmore Creek. They were mainly cool climate wines such as Champagne- method pinot gris, riesling, sauvignon blanc and gewürztraminer – but with a few chenin blancs and chardonnay. Reds were dominated by pinot noir, with a sprinkling of syrah, cabernet and merlot. Overall, the whites were bone dry and elegant with high acids and restrained fruit flavours. Pinot noir was the star of the reds – light-bodied, cherry/berry flavours and made to cellar.
Day 2. We took the ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Described by its owner David Walsh as a “subversive adult Disneyland,” it features exhibits which toy mostly with themes of sexuality and death. Not my cuppa Dilmah TBH. More like a multimillionaire indulging his naughty schoolboy side with a huge budget and no taste. Each to his own, I guess. Hobart cafes and restaurants feature ocean-fresh seafood and use local produce to their advantage. Not a bad meal was had, although the coffee was a bit variable. After a fab Chinese waterfront lunch, we finally checked out of our hotel and drove to Bichino on the east coast in our truly horrific rental car, an MG3. Tiny, underpowered and annoyingly quirky, it was at bare minimum a means of independent travel. Mia said it drove with all the oomph of a sewing machine. Anyway, we got to see Australasian ‘little blue’ penguins waddling in for the night to feed their demanding chicks at the local penguin tour operation. Recommended.
Day 3. We climbed to the Whale Watcher Outlook for ocean views and then had an early lunch of Lobster Roll $AUD22. Essentially, a very good crayburger with amazing fries. But a whole crayfish is around $AUD140. So much for my dreams of cheap seafood. Sad face.
Day 4. St. Helens in the Bay of Fires. One night stop-off in an upscale seaside village with a good Thai restaurant.
Day 5. Up early for sightseeing in the Bay of Fires. Spectacular huge ancient boulders with red and orange mineral deposits, set against sapphire blue seas and white sand beaches. Then we drove to Launceston at the top end of Tassie. Before settling into our hotel, we visited the Tasmania Zoo on the very outskirts of Launceston. I boosted their budget by getting my photo taken with a cuddly young wombat who seemed to be on board with the programme and happy to snuggle with a Kiwi superannuitant (no discount for NZ Gold Card).
Another wine tour, this time with a young honeymoon couple from Sydney. We took in the Tamar Valley region close to Launceston, visiting Moores Hill, Tamar Hill, Velo and Winter Brook. Again, it was Champagne-method pinot gris, riesling, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir with the odd syrah (they don’t call it shiraz in Taz). Very consistent with the lean and elegant cool climate style wines of the Southern Trail as above, the pinot noirs shone out for my palate and we bought one home from Moores Hill.
Day 6. We drove from Launceston back to Hobart and visited the Museum and Art Gallery. A bit of a downer to end on, the small museum documented what was essentially the genocide of Tasmanian native people by colonising British authorities. Also, an exhibit on how the Tasmanian Tiger (a dog-like marsupial predator) had been similarly wiped out by colonisers.
On a brighter note, we dined at highly acclaimed Mure’s Seafood restaurant on the waterfront, where I had the best seafood linguini of my life.
All up, we had a very relaxed time and enjoyed friendly locals, coastal scenery, wildlife, wine and food. The pace of life is definitely slower than Auckland. Six days was too short. I’d recommend 10 days. (Phil Parker)
www.finewinetours.co.nz, phil.parker@xtra.co.nz
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