perhaps a fireplace — and found all three in abundance. Frank and Lottie’s Portuguese tarts became a daily ritual, while Deloraine Deli’s cheeses and chutneys made the perfect platter for a night by the wood-fired hot tub at Cedar Cottage Meander. Beneath vast, star-streaked skies, it was the sort of stay that reminds you what travel should feel like. Life here moves to a slower rhythm. At the Great Western Tiers Visitor Centre, stories of early settlers mingle with local art. Along the main street, sculpture trails and honesty boxes brim with produce—apples, jams, loaves still warm from home ovens. Meander Valley’s bounty shines everywhere, from raspberries at Christmas Hills Farm to cider at Little Green Men Brewing Co. and truffles, wines and smallgoods crafted with pride.
of Tiagarra: “to keep.” The centre safeguards Aboriginal stories, ensuring they live on through younger generations. It’s an encounter that reshapes how you see the land beneath your feet. As dusk falls, Devonport glows with the From Sky to Sea light show, a nightly celebration of its connection to earth, ocean and sky. Afterward, The Cove — a clifftop retreat above Lillico Beach— offered ocean views, solitude and the hypnotic rhythm of waves. Food here mirrors its landscape: fresh, inventive, deeply local. At Mrs Jones, I dined with Bluff Beach as my backdrop; at Taste by Bold Cuisine, a five-course journey through the region’s produce elevated dinner into theatre. The Tasting Trail Tasmania expands the experience — gin at Southern Wild Distillery, cider at Spreyton, truffles at Truffledore, and cool-climate wines from La Villa and House of Hargrave — all made by hands that know their soil. Devonport’s beauty is also ecological. Don Reserve shelters threatened black gum forests and rare swift parrots, tended by passionate locals like Landcare’s Neal Masters. Nearby, Kelsey Tier bursts into colour each spring, offering both serenity and mountain-bike thrills just minutes from the CBD. Moments of awe come easily: spotting a platypus at the Tasmanian Arboretum, watching Little Penguins waddle ashore at Lillico Beach, or leaping from a cedar sauna into the icy Bass Strait at Savu Saunas — equal parts madness and magic.
A DELORAINE DELI PLATTER AT CEDAR COTTAGE. PIC: NATASHA MULHALL
Nature is close at hand. The Deloraine River Walk offers a gentle start, while Liffey Falls and Parsons Falls reward the adventurous. Tulampunga / Alum Cliffs, a sacred Aboriginal site above the Mersey River, reveals a sweeping gorge that feels like a secret shared. Wildlife encounters at Trowunna Sanctuary and glow-lit caves at Mole Creek remind you how wild, and cared-for, this valley remains. Art and history flow together here. At Deloraine Creative Studios, artists welcome you into their process; at the Folk Museum, woven tapestries retell the town’s past in silk and colour. It’s a place that asks you to linger—to meander, not march. In Meander Valley, the beauty lies not in how much you see, but in how deeply you feel it. Devonport: A Place to Become Across the north coast, where rolling farmland meets the Bass Strait, Devonport offers a different kind of stillness. From the deck of the Spirit of Tasmania, the city’s waterfront glimmers—new parks, boardwalks and murals breathing creative life into every corner. At Tiagarra Cultural Centre on Mersey Bluff, I met Dave mangenner Gough, who shared the meaning
TASMANIAN ARBORETUM
Every encounter in Devonport feels intentional, in rhythm with its environment. It’s a city where creativity and conservation meet, where food tells a story and nature is never out of reach. Together, Deloraine and Devonport reveal Tasmania’s gentler side — places to breathe, wander and reconnect. In one, you meander. In the other, you become.
59 Tasmanian Hospitality Review October/November Edition
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