Discover Tasmania’s ‘other’ great gourmet tasting trail

The Turrakana/Tasman Peninsula, located in southeast Tasmania, is a 75km drive from Hobart.

Because much of the region has been declared a national park, there is no shortage of stunning landscapes.

Throw in a handful of bespoke regional producers who are giving the Cradle To Coast Tasting Trail a run for their money, and you have plenty of reasons to place Tassie’s southeast on your ‘must-visit’ list.

CONVICT HISTORY

The Tasman Peninsula is home to two of Australia’s World Heritage Listed convict sites. Everyone knows the Port Arthur Historic Site. The second, lesser-known Coal Mines Historic Site, overlooking Norfolk Bay, is a 25-minute drive from  Port Arthur.

Established in 1839, this settlement site was Tasmania’s first operational mine. The worst repeat offenders from Port Arthur were sent there. The convicts worked underground, mining coal.

UNFORGETTABLE LANDSCAPES

Driving around the Tasman Peninsula, you’ll wonder why they chose such a picturesque region to house convicts.

The geographical isolation no doubt played a part. A 450-metre long isthmus – Teralina/Eaglehawk Neck – connects the Tasman Peninsula to the Forestier Peninsula. This thin sandbar (30m wide at its narrowest point) separates the calm waters of Norfolk Bay and the wild Tasman Sea.

In convict times, the authorities chained vicious dogs in a line along  The Neck, to discourage any prisoners thinking of escaping from Port Arthur.

Today, a statue of a dog chained to a barrel marks where the ‘dog line’ finished at the sand dunes. You can only imagine how desperate those convicts must have been to contemplate escaping.

Take the turn-off to the Pirates Bay Lookout for a stunning view of Eaglehawk Neck, overlooking Norfolk Bay.

On the northern end of Pirates Bay at the shoreline is an impressive geological formation: the tessellated pavement. The ocean ebb and flow has flattened and cracked a section of rock into a pattern of what looks like man-made square tiles (best seen at low tide).

Towards the south of Eaglehawk Neck, do visit Doo town. Locals have had a bit of fun, naming their beach shacks using the word ‘Doo’. Spot names include Doo Nothing, Doodle Doo, Doo Little, We Doo and Love Me Doo.

From Doo Town, don’t miss the three ‘rock stars’ in Waterfall Bay: the Blow Hole, the Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen.

Over thousands of years, this coastline trio has formed, pounded by the ocean’s mighty power.

Within the Tasman National Park (in three unconnected sections), you’ll find the towering sea cliffs of Cape Raoul, Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy. The trio, known as the Three Capes, are spectacular and popular with hikers.

A DIVINE PLACE TO STAY

For somewhere special, you cannot go past St Martin’s (stmartinsoftasmania.com.au): a beautiful, 100-year-old sandstone church built as a memorial to honour local servicemen killed during World War I.

St Martin’s is in Dunalley, a small seaside town at the entrance to the Tasman Peninsula. It is an ideal location to use as a base to explore the region.

The renovated church is now boutique accommodation. The new owners purchased the church in 2019, undertaking an extensive restoration project that took four years. There’s an episode on ABC’s Restoration Australia TV show about the transformation. This episode does not include the newer addition of a bathroom and kitchen, at the back of the church.

Waking up in the open-plan church felt divine. The morning light streamed through the stained-glass window at the front, spilling onto the furniture and antique objects selected by the owner Simon Holloway.

St Martin’s sandstone blocks were repurposed from the Commissariat’s Stores building at the Coal Mine Convict site. Some of the clay bricks were handmade. If you look hard, you will see thumbprints (the convicts pressed their thumbs into the soft clay as they came out of the mould).

BESPOKE PRODUCERS

There’s a few good reasons to stay central. Bangor Shed (bangorshed.com.au) is one of them. Not far from St Martin’s, off the Arthur Highway, the almost 2430ha (6000 acre) property has been in the Dunbabin family since the 1820s.

Sheep were the mainstay of the farm. Fifth-generation farmer Matt Dunbabin and his wife Vanessa decided to capitalise on visitors driving past their property  en route to Port Arthur (before MONA, Port Arthur was Tasmania’s most popular tourist attraction).

The couple planted vines in 2010. Through trial and error, they have created award-winning wines.

Their Bangor Vineyard Shed houses a tasting room, cellar door and restaurant. Sample a selection of handcrafted wines. They range from crisp whites to complex reds. The menu features fresh, local produce. On a sunny day, sit outside under cover on the deck and enjoy majestic views over Boomer Bay (I’ve indulged in long lunches here with friends).

One morning, I visited Bream Creek Dairy (breamcreekdairy.com.au), near Marion Bay, 15 minutes from Dunalley.

Richard Bignell and his nephew Jack had recently finished milking their Friesian cows. Richard’s father John, as a 20-year-old, purchased 28ha (70 acres) at Bream Creek.

Starting out with 12 cows, John and his wife Kay added 10 small farms over six decades. The family dairy currently has a milking herd of 800 carefully bred Friesian cows, and the extended Bignell family lives and works on the land.

Bream Creek Dairy produces fresh milk and four types of artisan cheese: blue, brie, truffle brie and black ash brie (I’m partial to the ash, smeared with some of McHenry’s sloe paste, found at  Mc Henry’s Distillery, in Mt Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula).

Bream Creek Dairy also makes single malt whisky, Stroud, named after their farm, and wine (riesling and a pinot noir).

A few minutes up the road from the dairy is Bream Creek Vineyard (breamcreekvineyard.com.au): one of the earliest commercial vineyards in Tassie.

The cellar door opened in 2023. With spectacular views overlooking Marion Bay, the tasting room is popular.

On the drive back towards Dunalley is the Daly Farm overlooking the serene waters of Boomer Bay.

One of Tasmania’s leading potato producers, the farm also makes small-batch craft spirits under the banner Hellfire Bluff Distillery (hellfirebluff.com.au). It crafts bespoke vodka, gins and liqueurs using ingredients harvested on the farm, including Tasmanian rainwater. The Potato Vodka and Summer Floral Gin have won awards. And while you’re sampling Hellfire’s finest on top of the hill, enjoy the spectacular view of the water.

Near Dunalley is the region’s only oyster farmgate, Blue Lagoon Oysters. The business sells fresh oysters grown in nearby Boomer Bay.

Yet another tasty reason why you will want to linger longer in this special region.