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Meander up north

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Meander upnorth

Journey into the Meander Valley to sate the soul, feast and explore in the shadow of the Great Western Tiers, writes Fiona Stocker.

CRADLE MOUNTAIN MAYBERRY MOLE CREEK

MEANDER VALLEY

DELORAINE

MEANDER

WESTWOOD

THIS SPREAD (Right, top to bottom) Getting the firepit started at Cedar Cottage; no matter the season Cedar Cottage’s alfresco hot tub is a must; Ashgrove’s menu may be seasonal but cheese is always the star ingredient; Christmas Hills’ juicy raspberries.

Mention the Meander Valley to any local, and they’ll smack their lips in anticipation. Known for its lush pastures, Meander generates some of Tasmania’s most sumptuous dairy produce. The recently expanded Ashgrove Cheese Dairy Door exemplifies the best, and creamiest, of what the region tempts us with, and it’s a great place to stock up on a few days’ provisions. Gourmet cheddars are stacked high in the factory, visible through viewing windows in the new visitor centre. Definitely leave room for more, because further along the Bass Highway are Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm Cafe and the Van Diemens Land Creamery. Like many who live nearby, we often take our visitors on this ‘triple dip’, and the car always sinks a little lower when we get back into it. Head off the highway into Deloraine, and you’re at the heart of the Meander region. It feels like a picturesque mountain village, the main street climbing a slope lined with shops and cafes, with glimpses of the Great Western Tiers through gaps in the buildings. These dolerite bluffs and forested escarpments form the edge of the Central Highlands plateau. Always there, hazy and blue in the distance, they’re a constant, spectacular backdrop. If a gentle stroll is all you feel like after all the gourmet dairy feasting, take a wander along the kooparoona niara/Great Western Tiers Cultural Trail, in the riverside parkland. The inspiration of proud palawa man Greg Murray and the work of local artists, the trail features native plants and bush tucker, with stone artwork depicting ancestors’ life along the river. “Kooparoona niara is the Aboriginal name for the Great Western Tiers, it means mountains of the spirits,” Greg explains, as we chat on the riverbank, a platypus flopping around midstream. It’s also the name of his tour company, which offers stories of Indigenous culture told from ancient rocky lookouts, and mouth-watering visits to the local truffle orchard and salmon farm. If you prefer striking out into the bush on your own, the Great Western Tiers visitor centre at the top of town is a great place for information. Meander is known as the ‘short walk capital’ of Tasmania and there is plenty here for the ardent walker to stay and explore. The rural roads snaking west and south pass

Photos: Sam Shelley/Tourism Tasmania

THIS SPREAD (clockwise from top left) Ashgrove Cheese showcases its cheeses and locally grown produce in its dishes; satisfy your sweet tooth at Van Diemens Land Creamery; stop to take a breather at Meander River; Ashgrove’s impressive Dairy Door; double take: they’re not where Ashgrove’s milk comes from; Mole Creek Caves’ ancient karst cave system.

We enjoy a picnic lunch ... with views from the rocky blu across plains to the coast

through farmland into wilder parts of the valley and the Conservation Area, with its deep gorges, thick bushland and waterfalls.

We set off on the Higgs Track, a favourite with locals that wends its way up through gnarly, moss-covered myrtle forest. The path emerges on the plateau in the Wilderness World Heritage Area. On the deck of Lady Lake Hut, we pause to enjoy a picnic lunch courtesy of the Deloraine Deli, to the sound of mountain springs gurgling through the button grass, with breathtaking views from the rocky bluff across the plains to the coast.

Below the heights, back in Chudleigh Valley, the underground world at Mole Creek Caves is no less spectacular. This ‘karst’ cave system was formed over millions of years, as glacial waters eroded layers of limestone sediment. Guided tours help you absorb the atmosphere and ancient geological history. Guides point out the glow-worms and Tasmanian cave spider, which has evolved to live without light. The cool silence of the caves is a fascinating counterpoint to the mountainous landscape towering above.

Exploring above ground and below is thirsty work, and the Wandering Trout Taphouse at Mole Creek answers this need. The provenance of the smallbatch craft beers served by owners Justin and Susie is second to none: brewed on site from local rainwater, malt and hops.

If you’re not ready to leave the ‘mountains of the spirits’ yet, Cedar Cottage Meander is the place to hang your beanie for the night. Owner Sarah Williams’ grandfather built the cottage using Tasmanian timbers. “Sunset in the hot tub, looking across to Mount Roland with a glass of wine is absolutely beautiful,” Sarah says. “It’s a good place for dark-sky watching, too.” Soaking in the solitude of this bushland retreat seems a perfect way to prepare for another day’s exploring.

On the road? Roadside assistance is there, 24/7, on 13 11 11.

TRAVEL

with your

Photos: The Berry Patch; Tasmania Natural Garlic and Tomatoes; Blue Hills Honey. Courtesy Emily Armstrong/Tourism Tasmania TASTEBUDS

SUMMER IS TASMANIA’S SWEETEST SEASON. Berry farms transform into pick-your-own pleasures, orchards bulge with fruit, and seafood beckons fresh from the sea. A road trip can be a moving feast, with flavours as fresh as the sunshine, says Andrew Bain.

It’s a chance to pick up honey – summer in a jar...

North and north-west

Tasmania’s prime food trail is the Cradle to Coast Tasting Trail, stretching from near Launceston to Smithton and dotted with almost 40 gourmet stops.

It’s a chance to pick up honey – summer in a jar – from Blue Hills Honey or Melita Honey Farm or join the timeless Tasmanian tradition of summer berry picking at the Berry Patch.

Prefer the fruits of someone else’s labours? Find all things berry on the menu at the Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm Cafe, making sure to leave with some of its chocolate-coated raspberries for the road.

Piece together a platter with visits to the salmon and ginseng farm at 41° South Tasmania, Ashgrove Cheese Dairy Door, Cradle Coast Olives, Tasmanian Natural Garlic and Tomatoes, and the Pickled Pantry at Tasmanian Pickled Onions. Spice it all up at KimchiMe, where you can purchase kimchi made from home-grown cabbages or book yourself into a kimchi-making class.

As you hit the tasting trail’s finish in Smithton, celebrate with oysters plucked fresh from local waters in the licensed cafe at Tarkine Fresh Oysters.

The Harvest Launceston community market, held each Saturday morning, is a bounty of fresh produce, while you can venture beyond the farm gate at Mount Gnomon Farm, compiling a platter of farm-made charcuterie, pickled vegetables and local cheese (or a full lunch service on weekends), washed down with cider from the property’s heritage apple orchard.

THIS PAGE (clockwise from top left) Mount Gnomon Farm serves homemade produce that’s been cooked over an asado grill; Blue Hills Honey is as fresh as it gets; seafood aplenty on Pennicott Wilderness Journeys’ trips.

OPPOSITE PAGE (clockwise from top) Lavender picking at Campo de Flori; Bruny Island Oysters from Get Shucked; Fat Pig Farm’s homemade gin.

South

There’s no freshness quite like foraged freshness. Summer sees Sirocco South’s foraging tours focus on the beach and dunes, gathering wild asparagus, seaberry saltbush and sea lettuce for a leisurely multi-course lunch.

The sea is the star on Pennicott Wilderness Journeys’ Tasmanian Seafood trips, with guides diving for abalone and sea urchins, and oysters and lobster adding to a decadent feast on the boat.

Berry farms are always on a summer menu in the south. Pick strawberries at Littlewood Berry Farm, blueberries at TruBlu Berries, and raspberries, blackcurrants, blackberries and silvanberries at Westerway Raspberry Farm.

Hobart’s Farm Gate Market is devoted to Tasmanian produce, sold personally by farmers and producers, while it’s worth venturing upriver to the Saturday New Norfolk Market.

The Huon Valley is the region that gave Tasmania its Apple Isle moniker, and roadside farm stalls abound in summer, from Provenance Growers in Neika, to Griggs’ unique Rubigold apples and the wooden cabin at Whispering Spirit. Mix things up with olives, saffron or lavender from Campo de Flori, and join a seasonal multi-course farm feast at Matthew Evans’ Fat Pig Farm.

Cross the D’Entrecasteaux Channel to Bruny Island, where the spread continues at Bruny Island Cheese and Beer Co, Get Shucked oyster farm, Bruny Island Honey and Bruny Baker’s old roadside fridges stocked with sourdough.

Berry farms are always on a summer menu in the south

THIS PAGE (top to bottom) Oysters are picked and shucked right in front of you at Oyster Bay Tours; it’s not just wine and olive oil on offer at Freycinet Vineyard – there’s also a stunning view to take in.

East

The summer sun beats strongest on the east coast, and the produce responds in kind. Eureka Farm is replete with berries, fruit, syrups and sauces, while Kate’s Berry Farm is a perennial favourite pit stop on the journey along the coast.

Bream Creek Farmers Market, held the first Sunday of each month, is one of the state’s original produce markets, while the Tasman Peninsula is home to Pickers Pantry, a White Beach cafe and honestybox fridge tucked into the side of a packing shed.

When you fill the car boot at Freycinet Vineyard, it might not be just wine, with the vineyard also pressing extra virgin olive oil from its four hectares of olive trees. The journey from sea to plate is short at Freycinet Marine Farm, which serves up oysters fresh from the racks, alongside mussels, abalone, lobster, salmon, octopus and sea urchin roe, on the deck of its roadside farm eatery. Exploring the farm with Oyster Bay Tours will have you eating oysters straight from the racks.

As the Tasman Highway swings off the coast at St Helens, detour into the lush Pyengana Valley to find the Pyengana Dairy Farm Gate Cafe. Take a cheese platter out to the back deck and graze in sight of the cows as they wander in and out of the milking shed.

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