Things to do in Tasmania
A new tourism initiative is bringing Tasmania’s history to life in detail, right down to prisoners’ poor dental hygiene.
The honey-hued sandstone walls don’t so much talk as whisper at The Red Feather Inn. The chisel marks created by convicts who handmade each block impart an imperfect, tactile loveliness. These walls house a quiet, living history and, happily for me as I prepare to bed down, luxurious comfort. Designed by Georgian architect John Sprunt and built in 1842, the Red Feather served as the first horse-change point on the road from Launceston to Deloraine. Located in the small town of Hadspen, about 10 minutes’ drive from Launceston, it’s now a handily positioned base for exploring some beautifully refreshed convict sites.
Lydia Nettlefold purchased the rundown property in 2006, navigating the requisite council and heritage approvals to open the boutique accommodation in 2008. The Tasmanian Walking Company bought it in 2022 and now uses the inn as a base for its tours at Cradle Mountain and Bay of Fires. Between them, they’ve created a soothing balm for travelling souls.
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The inn’s windows glow in the darkening afternoon, and an avenue of ornamental Cleveland pear trees leads me to sprawling gardens anchored by an enormous weeping willow. Past the wisteria-framed courtyard, a diminutive doorway delivers me to the French provincial-style reception room, where thick stone walls are painted white to match the low-beamed ceiling.
Elsewhere on the property, a beautiful barn and stables building is home to a two-level loft guestroom (the barn will house a guest lounge and bar come September); one cottage is used as a walkers’ base; and three further heritage cottages are ideal for families or group stays. Each is unique, but they all feature vanilla-biscuity tones warmed by red accents and heritage features. My Library Suite’s generous bedroom boasts an original “settler’s oven” and a large bathroom with egg-shaped tub. The living area’s bookshelves are stocked with a well-thumbed line-up. In the chandelier-lit kitchenette, a small fridge holds breakfast for tomorrow; pots of granola, yoghurt and a berry compote (if you’re after something heartier, the pastries at Bread + Butter, a short drive away, are said to be excellent). Ink renderings of an echidna and a Tasmanian tiger along with posters of French confitures add to an unforced charm.
Dinner showcases local produce such as Coronea Grove olive oil from Hadspen, while herbs, fruit and vegies are grown onsite. Tonight’s menu features Freycinet scallops served on caramelised shallot puree, eggplant and red pepper terrine with basil pesto, and a local cheese board. My slow-braised beef cheeks collapse into richly flavoured shards on the creamy celeriac puree, perfect with a Malua pinot noir from nearby estate Entally (garden-lovers, put the November Garden Fest held there in your diaries). An apricot and almond crumble is delivered to my room, then a steaming bath is the perfect wind-down before I sink into bed.
More local history is evident at The Clarendon Arms in the picturesque town of Evandale, about 20 minutes by road. The 1847 pub has new life, thanks again to the seemingly indefatigable Nettlefold, who decided to save it when it came on the market. Besides serving excellent garlic-lashed, tomato-wreathed mussels and ploughman’s platters (Nettlefold is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef), the pub radiates a convivial cosiness. There are mounted deer heads and patterned rugs on pleasingly creaky floorboards. Rooms lead off rooms lead off rooms.
Downstairs, striking murals recreate moments from local history such as bushranger raids and governor Lachlan Macquarie’s camp on the South Esk River. Painted by Norwegian-born Arne Brewster in the 1970s as payment for his keep at the inn, they were nearly consigned to history, along with the “horrendous carpet” Nettlefold inherited. “Once they were cleaned and properly lit,” she says of the artworks, “I decided to make them a feature and I’m very glad I did.”
The pub is part of Reassign, a new initiative from Northern Midlands Council, supported by Visit Northern Tasmania, that thus far includes five important sites in the region. The idea, says Reassign project manager Kirsten Bach, is to “tell compelling stories of our complex colonial past, set upon the even richer Aboriginal history and their relationship with this country”. Across the locations, QR codes unlock augmented-reality videos, digital 3D maps, podcasts and music. There are also on-site video projections created by Roar Film, which pulled together an extraordinary breadth of material and reimagined it for a new era.
A QR code underneath one of the pub’s murals depicting John Batman’s voyage across the Bass Strait – to where he would become one of Melbourne’s founders – opens a podcast about “gentleman bushranger” Matthew Brady. It shines a far less favourable light on his eventual captor, the “calculating and vicious mercenary” Batman, who pitted roving parties against the Palawa people.
Over at Brickendon Farm Village, outside Longford, William “Billy” Bracer admits to letting off “a bit of steam” by sneaking out for a late session at the local pub. His teeth are dreadful, which is understandable because Billy is a convict; he’s speaking to me via a Reassign QR code outside the blacksmith’s shop where he toiled, dreaming of London and a hard-earned beer. In the augmented-reality video, Billy recalls how he was assigned to work for landowner William Archer. Established in 1824, Archer’s sprawling estate – jointly UNESCO World Heritage-listed with Woolmers Estate up the road – is now run and farmed by sixth and seventh-generation Archers, Richard, Louise and their children. I wonder if Billy prayed for redemption or dreamt of freedom when he attended services in the picturesque gothic chapel (most escape attempts occurred on Sundays).
William Archer’s brother Thomas established Woolmers, which passed through six generations before Thomas VI, who never married, bequeathed the property to the Woolmers Foundation. QR codes here bolster compelling commentary from heritage operations manager Sue-Ellen Groer, whose intimate knowledge of the property, with its 4000-strong rose garden, fills in the brushstrokes that bring it all to life. She explains the family crest on the silverware and muses on Thomas’s “sense of purpose”, despite his lack of heirs. It’s a wonderful example of how all these resources – human, digital, natural, physical – can connect us in ever more nuanced ways to the past.
In Launceston, Stelo at Pierre’s represents another new chapter for a storied local establishment. Husband and wife team Nathan (ex-Stillwater) and Lauren Johnston moved their restaurant Stelo into local institution Pierre’s in February 2020. Earlier this year they opened Bar Stelo next door, where the Rhubarb Sour is almost too drinkable. Dinner brings plump scallops in their shell topped with focaccia crumb, and divine gnocchi made from Kennebec potatoes, nutty Tasmanian semolina and sea salt, scorched golden and swathed in an airy pumpkin sauce. Fantastic local wines include a 2022 chardonnay from Tamar Valley winemaker Matthias Utzinger.
Utzinger is also producing for Velo Wines, where Timbre Kitchen’s dining room is the perfect setting for a long, local produce-proud lunch from chef Matt Adams. The grilled cheese atop house-made soda bread is a thing of oozing beauty, complemented beautifully with a Velo sparkling. Soft cubes of pumpkin dance with quinces poached in juniper, cloves and wine. Rice porridge topped with beef XO requires every ounce of willpower to refrain from licking the bowl. And the miso caramel mousse with honeycomb? I still dream of it. Little is wasted here, thanks to a bartering system with local growers, and repurposing leftover wines for verjuice and poaching liquids. Turns out there’s plenty of new life to be found in old things.
IN THE KNOW
The Red Feather Inn in Launceston has rooms from $229 a night.
Visitors can access the Reassign features via QR codes at each location.
Brickendon Farm Village is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am-4pm (closed for maintenance to July 17).
Woolmers Estate has guided house and convict tours; open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-3.30pm.
Stelo at Pierre’s is open six nights a week (closed Sunday).
Timbre Kitchen serves lunch Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, lunch and dinner on Friday (closed until July 13).
Nikki Wallman was a guest of Tourism Tasmania and the Red Feather Inn.