one more for Charlie... If wine is your thing, Tasmania has some fantastic wineries. Even if you're not a member of this CF-based wine review site*, a search for really good wine <http://winecompanion.com.au/wine_search.cfm?keywords=&rating_range_id=6&wp_variety_id=®ion_id=19&sortdir=desc&sort=rating> from Southern/Eastern/Northern Tassie sorted by Rating will give you a clue that the reislings, chardonnays, and pinots from Frogmore Creek, Bay Of Fires, and Domaine A are some of the best in the world. here's a list of the best wineries in tasmania <http://winecompanion.com.au/bestwineriesbyregion.cfm?state_id=6&loggingIn=1>.
there's a map on this non-CF wine site http://www.visitvineyards.com/wine which will pop up lots of little wine glass icons if you feel like reprising Sideways... every little town i've visited there is beautiful and historic and has treated me to amazing meals (they really know how to cook a fish down there). There are also some great breweries and cidereries (??), all run by (in my experience) lovely folk who are happy to get off their tractor to help you sample their wares. http://www.visitvineyards.com/tasmania/wine/vineyards-wineries/wine-food-travel-articles/regional-overview-tasmania-the-vineyards ask for the local produce, the local wine, and the local cheese, and you can't possibly go wrong. but the real thing about Tasmania is the wilderness. the whole of australia has fought for decades to keep the south-west third of the island untouched. it's quite cold and very wet there, which means a lot of things grow, but very slowly - trees no bigger than the one in your back yard can be hundreds of years old. four days won't be enough to get you paddling down the Franklin River, but the fringes of the world heritage area have lots of beautiful walks, boat trips, lookouts, blah blah blah. Spend a couple of days driving and walking across the south-west, Lake St Clare and the cold rivers down there. I'll lend you my book of short walks around tasmania. in fact here's a great one - near Rosebury (4 hrs drive from Hobart) there's a deserted mining town called Williamsford, from which an easy 4 hour return walk through the rainforest will get you to the Montezuma Falls <http://www.google.com/maps?ll=-41.833854,145.496922&spn=0.019569,0.030169&t=h&z=15&lci=com.panoramio.all>, one of the highest waterfalls in tasmania. sit there with your bottle of chardonnay and your smoked salmon and tell me it wasn't one of the most memorable days of your life... Practice pronouncing Dombrovskis <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Dombrovskis> (Peter, not Valdis), have a look at some of his photos <http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&biw=1084&bih=731&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=dombrovskis+tasmania&btnG=Search&aq=f>, and every tasmanian will have a story to tell you. "When you go out there you don't get away from it all, you get back to it all. You come home to what's important. You come home to yourself." - Peter Dombrovskis that's what i know. andrew * therefore on-topic On 06/11/10 21:24, Robin Hilliard wrote: > Hi Charlie, > > Re Tassie, fly-drive is the best option. Salamanca markets are on Saturday > Mornings and are definitely worthwhile, and probably the only place in Tassie > you can see more than 50 people in the one place :-). Best things you can > buy IMHO are the timber products - pepper grinders, breadboards made from > fantastic local timber and underpriced - but heavy for luggage. I would stay > in Hobart for maybe two days other recommendations for Hobart region in no > particular order: > > * Mt Wellington Lookout > * Foyer of the Australian Antarctic Expedition HQ in Kingston (long time CF > users*, Dave Watts should be on this list) say hello to the stuffed huskys > from me (this place is actually a must-see in my book, it's the closest thing > Australia has to NASA, and very unique) > * Shot tower on way to Kingston > * Richmond bridge. If you go to the maze in Richmond (40 min from Hobart) buy > a postcard _before_ you go in, it's challenging enough with the postcard, and > you tend to become very popular with the crazed postcard-less souls you meet > on your way through. > * The towns and rivers south west of Hobart make a nice drive (to be clear, > the roads beside the rivers). > * The guy on the tourist desk at Hobart airport was very helpful and not > particularly busy. > * Cascade Brewery on way up Mt Wellington (supposed to be good, haven't been > myself). > > There is a very awarded and recommended nature trip on a boat around either > Burnie or Tasman Island that I'd love to do, the Burnie Island one could be > done from Hobart, Tasman Island one from Port Arthur. > > Then a day trip to Port Arthur, one or both of you should read > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_Term_of_His_Natural_Life before you go > to get the most out of it. > > If you head up the east coast from Hobart/Port Arthur, Freycinet > peninsula/Wineglass bay is on every Tasmanian tourist brochure, small town of > Swansea opposite is probably best place to base yourself from, our friends > who we bought our house from (and learned to sing from) have retired to a > house on the water in Swansea opposite the peninsula (they have Penguins at > the bottom of their garden) and I can get a recommendation for a B&B or > something from them if you like. Some interesting/unexpected connections with > France - Freycinet was a French explorer: > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_de_Freycinet > > I would fly out of Launceston so that you didn't have to drive back down to > Hobart - If you're going over to the west or north coast the roads go from > Launceston, not Hobart. Launceston and surrounds is supposed to be nice but I > haven't been there. > > Cheers, > Robin > > * and therefore this post is on-topic. > > ROBIN HILLIARD > Chief Technology Officer > ro...@rocketboots.com.au > > RocketBoots Pty Ltd > Level 11 > 189 Kent Street > Sydney NSW 2001 > Australia > Phone +61 2 9323 2507 > Facsimile +61 2 9323 2501 > Mobile +61 418 414 341 > www.rocketboots.com.au > > > On 06/11/2010, at 6:29 PM, MrBuzzy wrote: > >> Re: Tassie. >> >> Just chatting with a friend who works for mrandmrssmith.com, she suggested >> something like this; >> >> - Land in Hobart >> - See Salamanca market >> - See Wineglass bay & Freycinet national park >> - Then up the middle for more national parks or either the west or east >> coast :) >> >> Sent from my iPhone -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "cfaussie" group. To post to this group, send email to cfaus...@googlegroups.com. 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