ADVENTURE
CULTURE
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magazıne Experience this DRIVING THROUGH TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND PERTH’S EXCITING FAMILY ADVENTURES OFFBEAT MARKETS IN HONG KONG
+ WE LOVE LONNY! Weekends W We eeek ek ken nds taste tasste fine ne iin n Tassie’s Tass Ta s iiee’’ss ss second s co se ond ccity itty ity
SMOKIN’! Visit V Vi sitt th si thee li live ive volcano volc vo lcan lc ano an o on the the Plenty’s Bay of P Bay lent le nty’ y’ss y’ White Whi Wh ite Is it IIsland Isla sla lan land nd d
CH R IS H E MSWORT H T H E T H O R S TA R O N L I F E B E F O R E H O L LY WO O D :
“It was brutal having g the doors slammed in your face”
takeoff
postcode learn
waimate 7978 This small town on New Zealand’s South Island has plenty of local charm, and is famous for the giant concrete silhouette of a white horse on the hillside
pat
WAIMATE HISTORICAL MUSEUM 28 Shearman St; tel: +64 (3) 689 7832 Located in an old courthouse, the little town’s story is wrapped up in exhibits of European history and Maori culture.
KELCEYS BUSH FARMYARD HOLIDAY PARK 677 Mill Rd; kelceysbush.co.nz Spot wild and tame animals, including wallabies and golden possums, or go for a delightful bush walk.
wander
tipple POINT BUSH ESTATES 227 Point Bush Rd; pointbush.co.nz Sample delightful pinot noir, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc at this boutique winery and luxury lodge. Take a tour or be tempted with a tasting platter.
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STUDHOLMES BUSH LINK TRACK Waimate Information Centre, 75 Queen St; waimatedc.govt.nz/ Waimate Check out the white horse up on the hill as you set out on a tramp around Studholmes Bush, and spot wildlife.
eat ARTRIO ART CAFE 49 Queen St; artrio.co.nz Check out or buy art, sip some delicious
speciality coffee, and scoff the selection of fine and tasty homemade food in the art café’s cosy atmosphere.
dream
cuddle ENKLEDOOVERY KORNA Bathgates Rd; tel: +64 (3) 689 7197 Join “the wallaby lady” Gwen as she
pedal to the metal Each year in October, the streets of Waimate thrum with the revving roar of high-octane performance cars and classic rides as they tear around town for the Waimate 50; waimate50.co.nz
hand-rears orphaned wallabies, or go for a stroll in the pen and feed them yourself. Take a selfie with baby Skippy, but mind your fingers.
Words: RODERICK EIME; Illustration: STUART HOLMES
THE MODEL GARAGE 36 Queen St; tel: +64 (3) 689 8452, modelgarage.co.nz Every little (and not so little) boy’s dream, this collection includes 5,000 cars, trucks and tractors, as well as construction, emergency, aircraft and steam engines.
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weekend
tasmania
Tasmanian Gourmet Kitchen’s beetroot pork cutlets; OPPOSITE: the courtyard at Red Feather Inn
LOV I NG L AU NCE STON While many tourists in Tassie sing the praises of Hobart, Roderick Eime finds the state’s northern city makes for a great gourmet weekend away, loaded with plentiful supplies of fine food and wine
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Clockwise: Josef Chromy is right near the airport; shop for produce at Home of the Artisan café; Pierre’s, a café in the heart of Launceston
I was going to say no to croque monsieur, but ham and gruyère on toasted Vienna was hard to pass up. Merci!
SATURDAY There’s a big day ahead, so we kick off at Pierre’s right in the heart of Launceston. We steel ourselves with eggs Benedict and toasted sourdough at this much-awarded, highly regarded institution. I was going to say no to croque monsieur, but ham and gruyère on toasted Vienna was hard to pass up. Merci!
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As I haven’t taken any puritanical vows, I’ll be using my time to visit as many of the fabulous Tamar Valley wineries as possible, and with around 70 vineyards in the region, I’ve set myself quite a task. My first stop is Josef Chromy at Relbia, near the city’s airport, where the award-winning cellar door is inside the winemaker’s original 1880s homestead. I have the Pepik
Sparkling ($30) and Pinot Noir ($23) boxed to go. Next, it’s a bit of a trot, but Jansz out on Pipers Brook Road is certainly worth the 50km effort. It’s a tragedy to use the spit bucket on their Premium Cuvée, but safety first. Bay of Fires and Delamere wineries are just down the road: the region’s peachy, citrus chardonnay has me over a barrel. >>
begin your
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launceston even the is different here
hotel grand chancellor launceston
country club tasmania
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tasmania
weekend
For a boutique and historic stay, visit Red Feather Inn
while you’re here STAY Red Feather Inn is a historic sandstone boutique hotel. 42 Main St, Hadspen. Tel: +61 (3) 6393 6506; redfeatherinn. com.au BUY Design Tasmania has contemporary craft and stunning local timber pieces. Cnr Brisbane and Tamar Sts. Tel: +61 (3) 6331 5506; design tasmania.com.au TOUR Drift down the Launceston riverfront and visit Cataract Gorge with Tamar River Cruises; tamarrivercruises. com.au
You can pick up a tasting-plate lunch on the run at most of these gorgeous wineries and we made a late dash to Tamar Ridge, where chef Douglas Elder goes crazy for local produce in the winery’s starred restaurant. The pan-fried salmon, mussels and chardonnay are to die for. As night falls, I suppose we should think about dinner. The five-course Freefall Menu is a Friday- and
Saturday-night delight at the swish Terrace Restaurant in the Country Club. It’s the talk of the town, and for good reason. Throw yourself at the mercy of the chef, and wait to see if it’s slow-rendered duck neck or kingfish carpaccio that arrives with matching wine plucked from the 2,400-bottle Tasmanian Blackwood Wine Room. You can stay overnight too, or book a taxi to get back to your hotel.
SUNDAY Okay, we slept in, but there’s still time for Home of the Artisan café in Longford, 25 clicks south, before Danielle Lefrancois’s freshly baked pistachio, cranberry and white-chocolate cookies go cold. I end up falling for Bill’s famous Tasmanian Gourmet Kitchen red pepper marmalade and spiced pear chutney. Extra shot in my latte? Yes, please. >>
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take me there HOME OF THE ARTISAN CAFÉ 59 Wellington St. Tel: +61 (3) 6391 2042; facebook.com/ HomeOfTheArtisan O’KEEFE’S HOTEL 124 George St. Tel: +61 (3) 6331 4015; okeefes.com.au PIERRE’S RESTAURANT BRASSERIE CAFÉ 88 George St. Tel: +61 (3) 6331 6835; pierres.net.au TERRACE RESTAURANT Country Club Tasmania, Country Club Ave, Prospect Vale. Tel: +61 (3) 6335 5777; terracerestaurant. com.au
Delectable salmon at Tasmanian Gourmet Kitchen; ABOVE: characters and cabbages at Evandale markets
There’s definitely a slower pace today, so the rest of the morning and early afternoon are spent strolling the streets and trying not to be drawn into the dinky bric-a-brac stores in historic Evandale. But that plan doesn’t work. The Sunday markets will wait, but when we do arrive we pick up a couple of jars of sour-rind preserve and pickles. As you do. Sundays are for relaxation and recovery, so I promise just to look at 64
the bottles and smell the hops on the James Boag Brewery Tour. Happily, the bar serves great coffee, lunches and afternoon tea, so we soon get a second wind and enjoy a meander around the historic 1881 building before succumbing to a beer tasting. Sunday night can be a bit of a challenge as many places are closed for dinner, so I phone a friend. The advice? “Get over to O’Keefe’s Hotel!” As if to say, “Everybody knows that!”
So we bask in the warm glow of comfort food, Aussie pub-style. Beef and Worcestershire sausages are lathered in creamy potato mash and rich gravy. Any other time I’d have grappled the massive Surf’n’Turf. And yes, I did salute Launceston with a chilled Boag’s Lager. It’s only proper. JETSTAR HAS GREAT LOW FARES TO LAUNCESTON. GO TO JETSTAR.COM TO BOOK