Spend a Week Exploring Launceston and Tasmania’s Wild North and Find Out What Makes the Off Season so Enchanting

In partnership with Tourism Tasmania, Rolling Stone AU/NZ spent a week exploring Launceston and the north coast of Tasmania.

Just north of Launceston, delight your senses with an afternoon of blind cider tasting at Brady’s Lookout Cider, then head to Stelo at Pierre’s in the city for a five-course chef’s menu showcasing Tasmania’s wild local produce. After you’ve had your urban fix, stay at Cedar Cottage Meander in the kooparoona niara / Great Western Tiers area, right at the edge of World Heritage-listed wilderness. Spend the final leg of your trip immersing yourself in art and nature at Tin Dragon Trail Cottages’ art retreat.

We can’t think of a better way to wake up this winter than an Off Season stint in Tasmania’s wild north. Get inspired with our six-day itinerary below.

Day 1

Image: Earthy Eats Cafe | Photo credit: Ness Vanderburgh

Fuel yourself with seasonal and sustainable delights at Earthy Eats Cafe

This community haven offers earthy delights to satiate your hunger and fuel yourself for the day ahead. The Earthy Eats Cafe menu features healthy, local and sustainable options and caters to a wide range of dietary requirements. So bring your friends along, and remember to mention the Off Season – you’ll be shouted a free coffee with any meal purchase as you dig into earthly goodness. 

Image: Brady’s Lookout Cider | Photo credit: Jasper Da Seymour

Embrace the dark with blind cider tastings at Brady’s Lookout Cider

Brady’s Lookout Cider is a small boutique cider mill in the Tamar Valley that emulates the ‘Royal Ciders’ of the 17th Century, and the sparkling Tasmania is known for worldwide.

Learn about the importance of maintaining a heritage orchard with an astonishing 83 different varieties of apples. The farm is committed to organic principles and runs a conservation program for rare wildlife. Learn about zero waste while you sip cider on this delightful farm – a 2021 finalist in Tasmania’s Sustainable Business Of The Year awards. 

This Off Season, take your tastebuds to another level with a very special blind cider tasting in the dark. After this wonderful sensory experience, you’ll have the opportunity to create your very own cider to take home using their famous Methode Traditionelle. Allow around two hours for the full experience. 

Image: Stelo at Pierre’s | Photo credit: Renee Marshall

Indulge in a chef-led feast and kitchen tour at Stelo at Pierre’s restaurant 

Spoil yourself as the chef welcomes you and introduces your five-course tasting menu, encapsulating a selection of Tasmania’s wild produce. After dinner, you’ll be given the opportunity to enter the humming heart of the restaurant – the kitchen – for a tour. 

Expect to see local produce through an Italian lens and service that is polished, warm and uniquely Tasmanian. 

The interior is appointed with locally crafted leather bench seats, lavish Tasmanian Oak and leather chairs, and crisp white linen; the venue is perfect for Tasmania’s cool winter nights with its cosy and intimate feel. 

Days 2 and 3

Image: Cedar Cottage Meander | Photo credit: Natasha Mulhall

Go wild at Cedar Cottage Meander

Feel the stress of city living melt away as you spend two glorious nights in kooparoona niara / Great Western Tiers, which is situated right at the edge of World Heritage-listed wilderness. Cedar Cottage Meander is right next to the virgin rainforests of the Meander Forest Reserve and the alpine moorland gardens on the escarpments above. 

Winter is the ideal time to see Meander Falls in all her majestic winter splendour. Dropping 130m, this spectacular alpine waterfall often freezes into a crystalline cascade in the cooler months. 

Stay in a hand-built eco cabin that is perfect for couples or a small group of four. The cottages are furnished with warm Tasmanian specialty woods like deep Red Myrtle and Black-hearted Sassafras, which gives the space a unique and natural feel. 

Enjoy exclusive access to an organic kitchen garden by day and cook up a storm in your chef-style kitchen. Then it’s time to relax in your hot tub or by a crackling fire while you sip a glass of Tasmanian pinot noir under the stars. 

Rent an entire cottage that sleeps up to four guests this Off Season for just $525 for two nights and experience slow living at its finest. 

Days 4, 5 and 6

Image: Tin Dragon Trail Cottages | Photo credit: Christine Booth

Let your inner creativity shine at Tin Dragon Trail Cottages art retreat

 The Off Season is the perfect time to visit Tin Dragon Trail Cottages – the fungi are blooming, the waterfalls are gushing, the fires are crackling, and the beaches are wild and deserted.

Relax in one of six self-contained eco-cottages on the banks of Ringarooma River. Two-bedroom cottages suit couples and families, whilst studio cottages with an outdoor spa are perfect for a romantic getaway.

Wander along the lush riverbank, take a bush hike or get friendly with alpacas on the 36-acre private alpaca farm. There are plenty of river-based activities to choose from, including kayaking, fishing and swimming.

Then as night beckons, why not cook up the fish you caught on your very own BBQ?

The cottages are close to wineries, cheesemakers, waterfalls, beaches, Musselroe Wind Farm, exquisite golf courses and Blue Derby mountain-bike trails, so there’s plenty to be explored on your Off Season getaway.

This article is produced by Rolling Stone in partnership with Tourism Tasmania. Explore more wild, weird and wonderful experiences during Tasmania’s Off Season.