The pit stop

Beautiful scenery, fresh seafood and some of the state’s warmest weather make this charming fishing town a perfect weekend destination, Ruth Dawkins writes.

The PIT STOP Bicheno

SEE

Tasmania’s only glass-bottomed boat operates out of Bicheno, running 40-minute tours throughout the day. The area’s clean, clear waters are teeming with marine life – from stingrays and jellyfish to eels and sea stars – and the enthusiasm of Bicheno’s Glass Bottom Boat operator and guide Maitreya Randall is infectious.

EAT

For the ultimate ocean-to-plate Tassie seafood experience, you’d be hard pressed to find a better spot than the Lobster Shack. Overlooking the iconic Gulch, this relaxed eatery serves up fresh lobsters, oysters and prawns. If you can drag yourself away from the view, there’s also a small maritime museum upstairs. DRINK

Discover the best wines the East Coast has to offer at The Farm Shed. The friendly, knowledgeable owners Helen Bain and Subi Mead offer tastings of 24 wines at any one time plus sales of 90 wines from 22 local vineyards – including a few from smaller, boutique producers without a cellar door of their own.

SHOP

Can you imagine a better retail combination than pastries and fashion? That’s exactly what you’ll find at Little Bay Patisserie. This beautiful space provides cafe seating and freshly baked pastries alongside carefully curated clothing, accessories and homewares. Treat yourself to some gorgeous knitwear, colourful ceramics or a warm croissant straight out of the oven.

STAY

Families and couples alike will enjoy a restful stay at Whalers rest: a quiet, light-filled shack with spectacular ocean views. It’s thoughtfully styled with maritime-themed knick-knacks – whale bones, buoys and rudders – and, with the beach nearby, there is plenty of time to fossick for shells and start your own collection.

ESSENTIAL STOPS

• Bicheno’s Glass Bottom Boat

• The Lobster Shack

• The Farm Shed

• Little Bay Patisserie • Whalers rest

WAUBS BAY

GOVERNOR ISLAND

BICHENO

THIS PAGE (clockwise from top) Bicheno’s iconic Gulch; a cruffin by Little Bay Patisserie; tasteful styling at Whalers rest.

Great Drive Eastern Set off on a

ROAD TRIP

Framed by pink-tinged mountains, turquoise waters and verdant forest, the East Coast of Tasmania luxuriates in its surrounds. A laidback luxury also awaits in seafood fresh from the waters, eco resorts nestled unobtrusively in pristine settings and empty beaches discovered by boat or mountain bike. Chilled-out townships, farmto-fork eats and friendly local businesses round out a road trip worthy of taking your time.

Park it

Some of Tasmania’s most iconic national parks are waiting on a Great Eastern Drive road trip, but don’t just stop at the big names. The arc of Wineglass Bay and granite peaks of Freycinet National Park and the Bay of Fires Conservation Area with its fiery boulders are a must-see. But so are the white-sand beaches of Mount William National Park, the cascades of St Columba Falls State Reserve and the dry sclerophyll forests and placid waterholes of Douglas-Apsley National Park. Offshore, Maria Island National Park combines convict history with staggering scenery (plus, a chilled-out wombat population).

Float away

If you don’t venture out onto the East Coast’s lazuline waters, have you even been? Hop aboard with Wineglass Bay Cruises for a half-day cruise along the Freycinet coast. Join Bay of Fires Eco Tours from Binalong Bay to see the iconic coast from its best angle. Check out what lies beneath the clear waters with Bicheno Glass Bottom Boat. Or combine a boat trip with a stroll on Maria Island with East Coast Cruises. To paddle at your own pace, set off with Freycinet Adventures from Coles Bay and explore this stunning part of the world by sea kayak.

Lap up the luxury

The East Coast’s luxe retreats let the scenery do the talking. The subtle swooping form of Saffire Freycinet looks out over The Hazards and Freycinet National Park. The beautifully designed Freycinet Lodge Coastal Pavilions are hidden in native bushland. And commanding one-bedroom fortress The Keep overlooks the wild Blue Tier. Sumptuously furnished bell tents give camping a dose of luxury at Bay of Fires Bush Retreat, with Binalong Bay just down the road.

Get cosy

A warm welcome awaits at the East Coast’s boutique accommodation options. Sleep in bell tents, heritage spaces or modern pods at Twamley Farm near Buckland. Meredith House & Mews has greeted guests in Swansea for over a century. North of Bicheno, stay behind the dunes in the self-contained Sandpiper Ocean Cottages, or relax on the waterfront at Orford’s Eastcoaster Resort (where even the pool has ocean views).

Drink it in

Soak up the scenery on the East Coast Wine Trail, from Darlington Vineyard in the south to Priory Ridge Wines in the north. Prop an elbow at The Pub in the Paddock in Pyengana, one of the state’s oldest pubs, and find local spirit (plus beer and wine) at Spring Bay Distillery or Ironhouse Distillery, Brewery and Vineyard in Four Mile Creek. And stock up the car boot at The Farm Shed East Coast Wine Centre in Bicheno.

Dine fresh

The ocean and fields are the East Coast’s pantry. Pick up spring berries at Kate’s Berry Farm near Swansea, and graze on award-winning cheeses at Pyengana Dairy Farmgate Café. There’s next-level fish and chips at Bicheno’s Lobster Shack; seafood straight off the boat at The Fish Van in Triabunna and fresh-harvested mussels and oysters at Freycinet Marine Farm, served with local scallops, abalone and lobster. Leave room for cake at Purple Possum Wholefoods and Cafe in St Marys.

Dial it up

Your East Coast adventure can be as leisurely or high adrenaline as you want it to be. Ride from mountains to sea on the world-class St Helens Mountain Bike Trails. Pedal from vineyard to farm gate with Swansea Cycle Tours. Or set out from Coles Bay with All4 ATV All Terrain Tours and go off-road in Freycinet National Park.

Go a little wild

Meet the East Coast’s most endearing feathered, furred and scaled residents. See fairy penguins as they waddle home after dark with Bicheno Penguin Tours. Encounter exotic reptiles at Serpentarium Wildlife Park in St Helens. And spot one of our most iconic creatures in its natural habitat with the Devils in the Dark tour at East Coast Natureworld, a short drive north of Bicheno.

To plan a Great Eastern Drive road trip, see discovertasmania.com.au/great-eastern-drive