Selector Weekenders Guide to Northern Tasmania

Rugged and ravishing in equal measure, Northern Tasmania is always a tempting travel destination.

I don’t think I’m overstating it when I say Tasmania is flavour of the month at the moment. There is something about this confluence of nature, food, wine, art and culture that really digs its claws into you. There’s an earthy wholesomeness to the place, a friendliness and honesty to its people.

There’s a pretty good chance you’ve visited before, maybe to Hobart to soak up all that fine town has to offer, but whether you’re a return visitor or a first-timer, I am here, dear reader, to tell you that Tasmania’s north northwest really needs to be on your radar. We’ll be starting in Launceston and the Tamar Valley, but you can certainly start in the northwest if you plan to arrive by ferry in Devonport.

Launceston Airport conquered and hire-car sorted, it’s time to hit the road. If you’re on a super early flight and fancy a taste of the outdoors, a one-hour drive east from the hotel will take you to Ben Lomond National Park, with its stunning dolerite columns and scree slopes: a good place to take in some mountain air and smell some alpine wildflowers to calibrate the olfactory system.

Close to the airport is the charming town of Evandale and The Clarendon Arms Hotel where you’ll find cracking pub meals and a chance to try winemaker Jeremy Dineen’s Broadarrow wines at his small cellar door in the pub.

Josef Chromy Wines is in-between the airport and Launceston, and is well worth a detour for a solid range of sparkling and still wines plus some excellent food at the restaurant that looks over the lake and stunning grounds.

It’s a brief 15-minute drive from the airport into Launceston and there are a couple of things that you need to know. Coffee. This is important. Bread + Butter on Cimitiere Street is my go-to, either the bakeshop or the bakery itself, for some of the best croissants and coffee around.

If you are arriving in Launnie (best start calling it that to blend in) on a Saturday, you’ll find the awesome Launceston Farmers Market just next to the bakeshop, should you need to stock up on some provisions.

Beer. Another essential, again for calibration purposes. There are many fine watering holes in Launnie and I do recommend chatting with locals over a beverage at a bar.

This is where the best insights into a city come from. But we will head for the source. Two breweries worth a visit are James Boags for a tour and a wee sample, and the awesome Du Cane Brewing for their cracking range of beers, excellent pizzas and great community vibe.

Wine Tasmania does a fantastic job and a visit to their website to check out the Tamar Valley Trail is a must to get the most out of your visit.

Looking for a sparkling wine producer that is dog friendly and serves lunch? Tick the requisite boxes and a selection of wineries that fit the bill is presented. It’s great. If you are a sparkling wine lover, the majority of your time could be spent around the Pipers River sub-region and you would be well sated, but I proffer up a balanced option.

We’ll slide up the west bank of the Tamar today, visit a handful of wineries, have a late lunch before checking into our accommodation at Stillwater. Tomorrow we’ll head up to the north-west, taking in truffle farms, cideries and wineries on the way, spending the night at Ghost Rock.

The final day will see us up bright and early for the drive to Pipers River to visit some of the finest sparkling producers in the land, before heading back to the airport and an early evening flight. 

Through the centre of Launceston and over the Cataract Gorge bridge, we’ll be catching glimpses of the Tamar River on the drive up the west bank. Those with plenty of time on their hands could nose all the way to Rowella and pay a visit to the Holm Oak and Westella Wines cellar doors.

Bec and Tim Duffy at Holm Oak produce a cracking range of table and sparkling wines at this slightly warmer end of the Tamar Valley and there are a range of tasting f lights and experiences available at the cellar door. 

Just down the road you’ll find the eye-catching little Westella Wines cellar door, a family-run affair with a stunning range of wines and some brilliant local produce if you’re feeling peckish. The Stoney Rise tasting room at Gravelly Beach is also a must-visit.

A beautiful cellar door; some of Tasmania’s best wines are made here courtesy of Joe and Lou Holyman with seated wine flights available in a beautiful setting, killer charcuterie and cheese, and a selection of wines from other producers available, both local and international.

We’ll head south to Legana now to the awesome Evenfall Wines/Bellebonne cellar door and restaurant. It’s here you’ll have a chance to try the excellent Evenfall wines made by winemaking gun Liam McElhinney, the stellar sparkling wines of Bellebonne from Natalie Fryar, and Hugh McCullough’s delicious Wellington & Wolfe wines.

If time permits, the restaurant here is absolutely cracking and lunch, with views over a sweeping bend of the Tamar River, is highly recommended: the longer the better.

We’ll whip next door now to Utzinger Wine’s new cellar door. Matthias and Lauren Utzinger are producing some of the most exciting wines in the Tamar and is another must-visit winery to tick off the bucket list.

Back to Launceston now to check into one of my favourite places, Stillwater. It’s an iconic old flour mill set on the water at the mouth of Cataract Gorge with gorgeous rooms featuring exposed beams, dark aged timber and stunning views over the river. It’s just perfect.

It’s hard to leave that beautiful room but we scoot up to Havilah Wine Bar to try some of Ricky Evan’s superb Woodlawn, Two Tonne Tasmania and Havilah Wines before settling back into the arms of Stillwater for dinner.

Chef Craig Will makes the most of the pristine Tasmanian produce to craft spectacular dishes, sommelier James Welsh’s wine list is deep, wonderful and packed with classics and surprises, and front of house dynamo Bianca Welsh and team deliver attentive service that is absolutely on point. As I said, it’s one of my favourite places and a meal you’ll remember for a long time to come. 

Day two begins with breakfast and a quick power-walk up the spectacular Cataract Gorge before saddling up for our drive up to the northwest.

The best course of action is tailoring your own visit via the Tasting Trail Tasmania website – there are so many fantastic producers you can shape your visit around your own tastes. Below are a few of my recommendations for producers I’ve visited as a starting point. 

I drive up towards Port Sorell to stay at the stunning Ghost Rock vineyard house, but here are some worthy stops along the way: for those seeking a beverage other than wine, Little Green Men Brewing and Seven Sheds Brewery (my favourite was the Kentish Ale but the Cherry Saison, Mole Kriek and Stark Raven Stout were all fantastic).

For something stronger, Western Tiers Distillery and Southern Wild Distillery fit the bill nicely. For cider, Spreyton Cider has a fantastic range and a café for lunch. This is thirst-quenching country.

If truffles are your thing (and they should be) there are a few options but The Truffle Farm is the OG of the industry when, back in winter 1999, the Terry family harvested Australia’s first black truffle. There are a number of truffle hunt options with their dogs, and their farmgate shop sells a range of truffle products.

For wineries, there’s Meander Valley (delicious wines plus glamping and pizzas), Eastford Creek Vineyard (Gamay!), La Villa Wines (great sparkling, Nebbiolo and recently planted Savignan), and of course Ghost Rock.

Ghost Rock are on a roll at the moment, having just cleaned up at the 2025 Tasmanian Wine Show – their range of wines across the board is superb. We’ll be staying at the Ghost Rock Vineyard House, a stunning three-bedroom home with views over the vineyards. 

The restaurant here serves a fantastic lunch, so it’s worth considering a few producer visits in the morning, lunch at the restaurant, checking into the accommodation, and then cruising around visiting producers in the afternoon.

The chefs at Ghost Rock can whip up a “cooked for you” meal for your dinner in the house (I had a beautiful lamb dish and dessert), but if you feel like heading out, Pam’s Bottles & Cups is a funky little wine bar with small plates to nibble on; or Mrs Jones, with its beautiful views. 

Both are in Devonport and about 20 minutes’ drive from the house. You could easily spend a week up here in the northwest with visits to Burnie, Penguin (cute town alert!), Stanley, Cradle Mountain and the Tarkine Wilderness with producer visits as you go, but we need to head back towards Launceston as it’s sadly our last day.

I can recommend the cool Workshop Café in Port Sorell for a morning coffee before we drive just over an hour, down the B71 joining the A7 and the Tamar again at Exeter before heading over the Batman Bridge to the Pipers River sub-region.

You’re in Australia’s premier sparkling wine region here and there are so many amazing options. House of Arras (those late disgorged and museum wines are amazing), Jansz, Clover Hill, Apogee, Delamere, Pipers Brook would all be on my list, with some world class wines and wonderful cellar door/dining experiences.

For table wines, Sinapius, Bay of Fires and Dalrymple would be my picks – use the Wine Tasmania “Tamar Wine Route” website and build out your winery visits to suit your needs and tastes.

Small Wonder and Grey Sands are worth a look also. In Pipers River, everything is quite close, making it easy to maximise your time at the tasting bench, to get the most from what the region offers. 

It’s around a 45-minute drive from Pipers River to Launceston airport. If you’re anything like me, it’ll be spent planning your next trip back to Tasmania. It has a magnetic effect and keeps drawing you back; there really is something pure and magical about the place.

SPECIAL OFFERS AND MUST-VISIT WINERIES IN NORTHERN TASMANIA 

There are many jewels in Australia’s tourism crown. Amongst them, the northern regions of Tasmania shine very bright indeed. From the heights of Cradle Mountain to the banks of the Tamar River, visitors can expect a wealth of natural splendour, complemented by some of the freshest and best produce and wines in the country – or the world. 

Best reached from Launceston Airport or via the Spirit of Tasmania from Melbourne to Devonport, Tassie’s northern reaches enchant with bucolic villages, hiking trails, and over three dozen stellar wineries all in easy reach from one another. A weekend will likely not suffice, given just how many nooks and crannies there are to explore. 

If you’re heading south any time soon, don’t forget to access Members Extras discounts and unlock special savings from the participating partners.

 

HOLM OAK VINEYARD

Originally established in 1983, Holm Oak has been run by dynamic duo Bec and Tim Duffy since 2007. With their complementary skills as winemaker (Bec) and viticulturist (Tim), they have been following their vision to produce distinctive world-class wines from their 18-hectare estate vineyard.

Holm Oak specialises in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay along with other varieties like Riesling, Pinot Gris, Arneis and Cabernet Franc.

 

EXPERIENCES ON OFFER

Meander through Tasmania’s only wine-inspired sensory garden, or book in for an interactive tasting from the large range of award-winning wines available. Visitors to Holm Oak’s beautiful Cellar Door can choose their own wine flight, or opt for the Winemaker’s Choice which includes back vintage favourites and seasonal selections. 

Specialty tastings are also available including a Pinot Noir-only flight, a guided tour and tutored tasting in the sensory garden, or learn about the unique connection that the wines have with local tennis history with a “Top of Our Game” tasting experience.

Local produce is also available in the Cellar Door providore, where you can create your own platter or picnic and enjoy the grounds with the kids, the views from the heated deck, or simply settle in by the fire with wine dogs Nyah and Bella. 

The Cellar Door is open 10am–4pm Monday to Friday with bookings advised, and an electric vehicle charging station is on-site for those looking to top up batteries.

LOCAL RECOMMENDATION

Take a walk along Greens Beach, Notley Fern Gorge or the Tamar Island Wetlands. Or, visit Seahorse World and the Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre.

WINE + FOOD MATCH

The Wizard Pinot Noir with West Tamar fungi mushroom and The Truffle Farm truffle risotto are an extraordinary pairing.

HOLMOAKVINEYARDS.COM.AU

 

SMALL WONDER WINES

Just a short drive from Launceston, Small Wonder Wines is a boutique winery in the Tamar Valley crafting small-batch, cool-climate wines with a focus on organic viticulture and sustainability. The newly built on-site winery, powered by 100% green energy, ensures every step of the winemaking process is guided by care and precision, resulting in wines of exceptional quality and character.

Their meticulous, hands-on approach has earned consistent recognition, including, most recently, the Labelhouse Trophy for Best Rosé at the 2025 Tasmanian Wine Show – Small Wonder’s third Trophy at this prestigious event in as many years.

LOCAL RECOMMENDATION 

A visit to Cataract Gorge is a must – leisurely strolls or long hikes for all fitness types. Or, a cold one at Du Cane Brewery.

WINE + FOOD MATCH

You can’t go past a 2023 Auburn Chardonnay paired with cheese and charcuterie (Coal River Farm and Casalinga Gourmet Meats are our favourites)!

SMALLWONDERWINES.COM.AU

Get Offer

20% Off Small Wonder's Vin Explorer tour! Valid till: Saturday, 31 May 2025 

 

GREY SANDS VINEYARD

Grey Sands is an unirrigated, high density vineyard producing fruit of great intensity of flavour, and is located at the westernmost edge of the Tamar Valley. The elevation gives great views over the vineyard, as far as Mt Arthur and Mt Barrow on the East Tamar.

The vines are hand-tended and pruned, and the grapes are hand-picked. They currently have 17 different varieties of grapes producing 11 different wines (six reds, four whites and a Rosé) with a further seven different varieties at various stages of growth.

Visit their website to book a wine tasting of some of the most diverse grape varieties you will find in Tasmania – all in a beautiful, unique setting. And if you’re interested in unusual plants, Grey Sands Garden (aka the ‘Cellar Door’) is a must see! Tastings by appointment only.

LOCAL RECOMMENDATION

Grab a Tamar Valley Wine Route guide and explore the many gustatory sensations on offer across the region.

WINE + FOOD MATCH

The Grey Sands 2012 Pinot Noir pairs perfectly with barbequed, butterflied quail from Lenah Game Meats.

GREYSANDS.COM.AU

Get Offer

Buy 12 bottles of wine & get 10% off & free freight.​ Valid till: Saturday, 31 May 2025 

 

HOUSE OF ARRAS

In 1988, pioneer winemaker Ed Carr embarked on a journey dedicated to craft exceptional Australian sparkling wine equal to the world’s best, and by 1995 House of Arras was founded. Today, House of Arras is Australia’s most-awarded sparkling wine brand, with Carr’s relentless pursuit of excellence, and his passion, skill and determination responsible for putting Australian sparkling wine on the global wine map.

Nestled inside lush lofty woodlands along the banks of the Pipers River, House of Arras Winery and Cellar door offers a range of tasting experiences exploring the Tasmanian regional terroir and history of their award winning wines. Bookings recommended.

LOCAL RECOMMENDATION

Pipers River is a spectacular location for a walk following your tasting experience – see if you can spot the local platypus.

WINE + FOOD MATCH

Arras Blanc de Blanc NV with Sydney rock oysters with ginger and shallot dressing. Sublime.

HOUSEOFARRAS.COM.AU

Get Offer

A further 20% off when booking a tasting experience and entering the redemption code​ Valid till: Monday, 1 September 2025 

 

PIPERS BROOK VINEYARD

Pipers Brook Vineyard stands proudly within the Tamar Valley, now undeniably recognised as a world-class wine destination. With vines planted 50 years ago, and those added since, this iconic producer has long set the standard for crafting cool-climate wine in the region. This impressive venture is family-owned, locally-operated, and the beating heart of Kreglinger Wine Estates.

Today’s custodians celebrate the vineyard’s rich history, whilst undertaking the ever-ongoing pursuit of relentless excellence. From the ranging vineyard slopes, right to the glasses of guests from near and far, every detail matters.

On-site, nestled amongst tanks and presses of the winery halls, Nadine’s at Pipers serves soul-nourishing, seasonal dishes, adored by locals and visitors alike. The Cellar Door, committed to sharing the wonders born from the estate’s pursuit, offers guided tastings year-round.

LOCAL RECOMMENDATION

Barnbougle golf and accommodation.

WINE + FOOD MATCH

Don’t miss the Pipers Brook 2022 Pinot Gris with Nadine’s charcuterie board. 

KREGLINGERWINEESTATES.COM

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