Graze through northern Tasmania's gourmet food scene

The delicious flavours of northern Tasmania are proof of how much better everything tastes when you’ve met the maker, walked through the garden or plucked the produce from the vine. A journey across Launceston, Devonport and Burnie offers the chance to slow down and follow your food from paddock to plate.

Here’s a three-day itinerary fit for food lovers.

Day 1: Launceston to Tamar Valley return

●        Drive time: about 2.5 hours.

Launceston, just a one-hour flight from Melbourne or 1.5-hour flight from Sydney, is the perfect place to begin your culinary adventure. Grab a locally sourced breakfast from Bryher to start the day right.

After breakfast, it’s time to hit the Tamar Valley Wine Trail, full of family-run vineyards and friendly cellar doors, orchards and farms, forested hills and picturesque lookouts. The first stop is Josef Chromy, located about a 15-minute drive from Launceston at the trail’s southern end. Taste the selection of cool-climate wines and enjoy the lakeside views.

Take a seat at Timbre Kitchen (open Friday - Sunday) to lunch among the vines at Velo Wines, then spend the afternoon hopping between tastings at some of the 30 wineries in the area. Holm Oak and the solar-powered Moores Hill Estate are about 30 minutes from Timbre Kitchen, while Sinapius and Delamere in the Pipers Brook region are worth the one-hour drive.

Drive back to Launceston and take your pick from restaurants that serves up the flavours of the region, including Stillwater, Geronimo, and Grain of the Silos.

Spend the night at Stillwater Seven, a collection of just seven boutique rooms within a restored convict-era flour mill. Alternatively, join the social enterprises supported at the 18-room Change Overnight.  

Day 2: Launceston to Devonport

●        Drive time: about 1.5 hours.

Even if you ate dinner at Stillwater, it’s worth visiting again for breakfast. Linger over the likes of a wagyu Reuben sandwich or Huon smoked salmon waffles while you plan your day.

Explore your options on the Cradle to Coast Tasting Trail; there are more than 30 farms, cellar doors, distilleries, cheeseries and more. Make your first stop at the Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm Café for a raspberry-flavoured morning tea. Next, visit the Ashgrove Cheese factory and shop for mouth-watering cheese, cream, milk and butter.

Continue your country drive about ten minutes to the Tasmanian Food and Wine Conservatory – a transformed greenhouse – for platters of artisanal Tassie produce. Nearby, watch the art of chocolate-making from the factory window at the House of Anvers, and pause for a rich hot chocolate and artisan truffles.

Your next drool-worthy destination is Devonport, where you’ll find the stylish, family-fun Ghost Rock Wines. Sit down for a tasting and platters on a terrace with views of the Bass Strait and the beaches of Narawntapu National Park.

By now, you might be ready for a pre-dinner drink. Drive about 15 minutes and order rare botanical-infused gin and tonic at Southern Wild Distillery. You’ll be able to watch the on-site distilling action while you sip. Then, head toward the beach for dinner at Mrs Jones, a bar eatery above the Devonport Surf Club with spectacular views.

After dinner, settle into your lodgings. Choose from the Gateway Hotel in the city centre or the heritage The Grand on Macfie. 

Day 3: Devonport to Burnie

●        Drive time: about an hour.

There’s no better way to start the day than with the locally sourced (and picture perfect) breakfasts at The Berry Patch.

Today, the highlight is the stunning coastal scenery along the road to Burnie. About half-way through your 30-minute drive, stop into Penguin, a classic beach town with friendly locals, stylish homewares and food stores (and lots of penguin mascots).

After arriving in Burnie, don’t miss the striking Makers’ Workshop, a sleek cultural hub that combines makers’ studios, gallery spaces, museum exhibitions and even a cheese shop. Explore Burnie’s industrial connection with paper at Creative Paper, Australia’s largest handmade paper mill.

If you’re hungry for lunch, you can’t go past the fish and chips at Fish Frenzy. Then, take the short drive up a hill behind the city to the award-winning Hellyers Road Distillery. Take a tour of the distillery and bond store, and flourish a wax seal and walk away with your own bottle of whisky.

Work up your appetite about ten minutes away at the 11-hectare (27-acre) Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden; peak flowering season is between September and November. Take a leisurely stroll through the woodland blooms before heading to dinner at the aptly named Bayviews Restaurant on Burnie’s West Beach.

Fall asleep to a soundtrack of the ocean at Ikon Hotel, or check into a charming heritage cottage at The Duck House.