Tasmania has always been known as the apple isle but today it is their superb food and wine that is bringing people to the island.
This makes it the perfect place for a tastecation….a gourmet vacation tasting the delights of a city….and there’s no better place to indulge your love of world renown food and wines than in Tasmania’s capital, Hobart and its close environs.
The minute you arrive, you can start your tastecation!
The Coal River Valley is a short drive from the airport and this is one area you would not want to miss! It has a little bit of of everything…..wine, food and history.
From the turnoff near the airport, Richmond Road winds through the valley towards the historic town of Richmond, a beautiful old village dating back to the early 19th century where many of the original houses now showcase local artisan industries.
Along this road, you will find makers of fabulous chocolates, delicious cheese and world class vineyards who have opened their doors to those eager to learn and taste these gourmet delights.
Coal River Farm started business in August this year. The cafe is already busy and their chocolates, made by a french chocolatier, are very popular. Cheese production will start soon and in the summer months you will be able to pick your own berries.
A bit further up the road, Wicked Cheese is well and truly established. The cheese room is behind glass so you can see how the cheese is made and then taste their award winning cheeses.
Frogmore Creek Winery’s restaurant has just won the Tasmanian Hotels Associations award for the best regional restaurant in 2015. I can see why! The food is sensational with the award winning wines matching perfectly to each course. There’ll be more written on this great lunch spot but it is one not to miss!
Travelodge Hotel Hobart Airport
Arriving late into the city, it made sense to stay at the Travelodge Hotel Hobart Airport for our first two nights. This allowed us to head off early in the morning to spend the day exploring the Coal River Valley and to walk around Richmond.
It would also be a great idea to stay here if you were wanting to head to Port Arthur, Coles Bay, Freycinet or Launceston the next day. Even better….arrive in the morning, book a car and explore Richmond, stay the night and head off the next day!
Rooms
The rooms at the Travelodge Hotel Hobart Airport are light and airy, all featuring the Travelodge’s smart signature colour blocking. The windows are double glazed so you don’t have to worry about the noise from the airport or the road. You feel as though you are already in the country!
The guest rooms and executive rooms have all the amenities you need but if there’s something you’re missing, the friendly staff will be able to help! Rooms for the disabled are also available. If you’re not picking up a car, a free airport shuttle is available.
The hotel was full of surprises:
Surprise No1: The beds! I don’t know what their secret is but our bed was one of the most comfortable hotel beds I had slept in for a long while!
Surprise No 2: The spinach, mushroom and feta omelette I had for breakfast was sensational….so tasty, so light and fluffy. What’s the secret chef?
Surprise No 3: The start of a small boxed vegetable garden! It had obviously just been planted but very soon the spinach for your omelette could be home grown!
If you are spending the night here, two minutes from the hotel is the Barilla Bay Oyster Farm where you can watch the sun set eating delicious Southern Bay Oysters.
Travelodge Hobart
The next day we continued our tastecation in the city moving to the Travelodge Hobart.Â
I love the way the hotel has used colour…the foyer is bright and cheerful and the rooms feature a strong coloured wall.
A well placed desk saved the computers and ipads from decorating the bed! Talking of wifi, at both hotels, your first 100MB of wifi is free every 24 hours but charges of $9.95 for unlimited use every 24hrs apply after this.
The rooms have a small fridge, sink and microwave should you need then. Irons and ironing boards are waiting in the cupboard. Gone are those days of ringing and waiting an hour till housekeeping remembers to bring it to you!
The bathroom is small but we had a bath as well as a walk in shower (executive rooms only)Â Another feature of the executive rooms is the lounge area.
The higher floors have a wonderful view……
Position, position, position!Â
Whenever we travel we always try to stay in the centre of a city…it makes life so much easier… and the Travelodge Hobart is in a great position close to everything we wanted to see in the short time we had!
The sun was shining as we walked the block down the street to Saint David’s Park and then to Salamanca Place where Hobart’s famous Salamanca Markets are held every Saturday. The markets showed the kaleidescope of produce available. Fresh vegetables, crates of apples, local truffles, chocolates, award winning whisky and Tasmanian gin were all on show together with locally made handicrafts.
Salamanca Place is near the waterfront. The ferry to the Museum of New and Old Art (MONA) leaves from nearby Brooke Street Pier taking you straight to the museum. MONA is one gallery you won’t want to miss. The architecture is as fascinating as the art!
Further along the wharf, Franklin Pier is the place to meet for Pennicott Wilderness Journeys to Bruny Island, another fabulous gourmet destination which we visited the following day.
The old historic area of Battery Hill is a five minute walk back to the hotel if you’ve walked there via Kelly’s Steps in Salamanca Place. This is a fabulous area to explore with beautiful old homes lining the streets and great views over the water. Look for Jackman & McRoss, a popular cafe which you can find in Hampden Road.
Fabulous restaurants and cafes are all within walking distance in Hobart.
You will be spoilt for choice in Salamanca Place …don’t miss Salamanca Square with its entrance along side the old Fruit Market. Here you’ll find Machine Laundry, a casual stop for lunch and Smolt, a restaurant that I’d recommend for dinner! In Murray St, opposite Parliament House is Daci & Daci...pastry heaven!
Close to the pedestrian mall, you’ll find Ethos, an excellent, small restaurant that offers a six course degustation of local produce. We stopped for drinks at two places I’d love to return to for dinner….The Franklin and Hobart’s latest restaurant and bar opening, The Glass House. The Frank is another restaurant that was highly recommended to us.
Our Itinerary
I’ll be writing more about the places we visited but if you’d like to plan your own Tasmanian tastecation in Hobart, you may like to follow our itinerary that was organised by TFE Hotels:
Day 1:
Arrive in Hobart. Check in at the Travelodge Hobart Airport Hotel. As time was short and the restaurant list long, we drove into the city for dinner at Ethos
Day 2:
Explore the Coal River Valley and see the small historic town of Richmond.
Stop at Coal River Farm, Wicked Cheese and then head into Richmond.
Lunch at Frogmore Creek…Winner of the Tasmanian Hotels Associations best regional restaurant in 2015
Visit Coal Valley Vineyard…as from the end of October, the cellar door will reopen for tapas style dishes and wine tastings
Dinner at Barilla Bay Oysters, two minutes from the hotel
Day 3:
Head to the city for an early check in at the Travelodge Hobart.
Visit the Salamanca Markets.
Lunch at the market stalls….Scallop pies, Gypsey rolls and burgers are readily available or eat at Machine Laundry Cafe in Salamanca Place. Leave room for dessert from Honey Badgers Dessert Cafe next door!
Explore Battery Point.
Catch the ferry to MONA. We caught the 2.30 ferry and spent the afternoon here, staying for a delicious dinner their restaurant, The Source.
Day 4:
Take a day trip to Bruny Island….We loved our Pennicott Wilderness Adventures, Bruny Island Traveller tour that had exploring the delights of the island.
Option:Â See the sights you haven’t already seen ……maybe visit the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, The Art Gallery and Museum or take in the view from the top of Mount Wellington
I’m now inspired to take more tastecations.
It’s a great way to enjoy a city…it’s easy, it’s fun and it’s delicious!
Have you been on a tastecation? Where would you like to visit for a tastecation?
Disclaimer:
Thank you to TFE Hotels who invited me to experience the gourmet delights Hobart offers and to stay at their Travelodge Hotels.
Toga Far East Hotels (TFE Hotels) operate 70 hotels across Australia, Asia and Europe.
Many will be familiar to you: Vibe Hotels (I love the position of the Vibe Hotel Rushcutters in Sydney!), Rendezvous Hotels, Medina Serviced Apartments, Adina Apartment Hotels, The Hotel Kurrajong in Canberra as well as Travelodge Hotels.
All opinions conveyed here are my own….I loved every minute of this tastecation and I will definitely be back to see and eat more in Tasmania.
Hi Jenny, I’ve not done a tastecation. I love that you’ve given us the Itinerary for the tastecation, as you know I am a big fan of your itineraries. I love the look of those oysters and how unusual is a scallop pie! We are well overdue for a Tasmanian visit. I was last there as a 17 year old, lol and Marty has never been. Luckily I was there for three weeks so I did get to see a lot of Tasmania, but I’d love to return. It is difficult to find a comfortable bed when travelling, so that is a real plus.
Isn’t a tastecation a great idea Jan! Everything we tasted was so fresh and delicious and there are so many places to visit which are close to Hobart. I’m glad you understand how excited I was finding a comfortable bed! It’s your sort of holiday Jan so I say go…you’ll love it!
Wowee what an amazing Tastecation and a brilliant idea! Looks like you had a fab time and thanks for the heads up with a grt itinerary … we long to return to Tassie.
We had a fabulous time Jo. The food was amazing and all the places we visited were so close to Hobart. The itinerary that TFE Hotels prepared for us was great…well worth following. It’s made me want to plan a tastecation in my own city!
A tastecation sounds like a wonderful way to spend a few days and what better place to sample the local produce than Tasmania. You’ve made me want to head back to Tassie for my own tastecation, Jenny. Your photos are brilliant – I’m licking my lips just looking at them!
Thanks Carolyn. Hobart was the perfect place to spend a tastecation. So many fabulous growers and produces so close to the city and excellent restaurants and cafes in the city. I was blown away by the fabulous quality of the food and can’t wait to return and explore the rest of the state.
I love the idea of a “Tastecation”! We are heading to Tassie in November and hiring a campervan to tour around in for 12 days so will possibly be doing a bit of tasting and drinking ourselves. Thanks for the great itinerary – it will come in handy.
This is perfectly timed for you Kathy! I’d love to do a longer trip and see more of the island. It’s great that the itinerary will be of use for you…I can recommend it all!
Looks like a great itinerary for any food lover!
Thanks Irene. We loved every minute of it!
Tastecation—what a great word! I’m not familiar with Tasmania, but it looks great, and a perfect place for a tastecation! That cheese looks especially appealing.
It is a great word isn’t it Shelley and with food and wine areas so close to the capital, Hobart, is a great place for a tastecation! The cheese is excellent…we had some sent home and I’m eating it as I write this!!
A tastecation sounds like an awesome way to spend some time in Tasmania and I see plenty of fabulous foods to tempt me! I always picture Tasmania as rugged wilderness but your photos show a picturesque and thriving urban scene and I’d love to visit the Salamanca Markets.
Tasmania does have some fabulous wilderness places…Cradle Mountain comes to mind and the area around Freycinet. We spent our time close to and in Hobart, the capital, hence the more ‘urban’ scenes you mention. It’s all beautiful!
I love that you included the itinerary of your tastecation – what a great concept! Tasmania is a very intriguing destination to us. We’ve met several holiday travelers from Tassie here in Fiji and think it would be wonderful to visit.
Including the itinerary seems to have been very popular Betsy. Do you think you’ll come back to Australia….you’re so close! Tasmania is a great place to visit and, as you can see, there’s so much to do and eat!
Wow, all that amazing food stops, I would love to tour with you someday. I’ve always wanted to visit Tasmania, it is gorgeous!
I’d be happy to take you on tour anytime Noel! Hobart is a great place to start your tour…The food is fabulous!
Hi Jenny,
Thanks so much once again for sharing so freely such useful and extensive information! Loved all the Instagram posts and this blog post has just topped it all off – wonderful. Needless to say a ‘foodie’ trip to Tassie is high on the list of trips to be done!
Thank you Jenny. I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the Tassie tastecation! I can definitely recommend it….we’d love to see more of the island and return to try a few places we just didn’t have time to try! Let me know if I can help you with your planning when you go!
I am totally game for a tastecation and one in Tasmania looks perfect. I’m really taken with the view from Frogmore Creek Winery — beautiful. Thanks for the itinerary, too. I’d love to follow it.
Hobart is the perfect place for a tastecation Cathy! You’ll have to come and visit! The view at Frogmore Creek Winery really was superb…as was the food and wine! I’d definitiely recommend it
A tastecation of Tassie, what could be better. I love Tasmania and the food there is amazing as your photos show. It really has become a hot spot travel destination for its food and amazing scenery not to mention the diversity of the island. Loved it.
It’s the perfect spot for a tastecation isn’t it Paula. There’s new bars and restaurants opening and it’s becoming a very popular weekend escape. MONA has also bought people to Hobart and once there everyone is realising how fabulous it is!
I’d never imagined Tasmania would be such a hot spot for cuisine but wow, it looks incredible. The chocolate and oysters would be enough to make me want to extend my stay. In Canada the Travelodge hotel chain is very budget oriented but it looks like perhaps its a completely different experience there and definitely a must-try. The decor and locations look really good.
Tasmania really is buzzing at the moment Michele. Don’t forget the cheese and wine as well as the chocolates and oysters! Travelodge in Australia is owned by TFE Hotels. The web site does not show any hotels in Canada so I presume there’s no connection. The locations were perfect! The hotels are great value.I loved the airport hotel’s vegetable gardens that are being planted!
Great looking food, and a nice place to stay, what more could we want? Looks like a fun trip.
It was a great trip thankyou….fabulous food and lovely hotels. I can see more ‘tastecations’ in my travels!
Tasmanian looks like a terrific spot for a tastecation! I love the name – tastecation, sounds like our kinda of trip!
It’s perfect for a tastecation Sue! It’s definitely your sort of trip!
Hobart is awesome, isn’t it? I loved the whole of Tasmania, too. I’ve done a few of the things you listed and also would recommend them! Great post 🙂
Thanks Kendra. I loved Hobart! It’s inspired me to plan another trip to explore more of the island. The food is amazing! It’s great that all we did on this tastecation was so close to the city!
Amazing trip, especially for the culinary experience 🙂
It was a fabulous culinary experience Francois and has definitely whetted my appetite to see more of Tasmania. It’s a very rich and beautiful island.