The North-East
The patchworked landscape of north- eastern Tasmania changes with the seasons. Mountainous and forested, the slopes and fertile valleys have been cleared and cultivated by generations of farming families. In summer, gently rolling hills are carpeted by fields of lavender and poppies.
Flowers on the roadside and
flathead from the sea
The pioneer of all Tasmanian natural plant extract industries
was launched in 1921 when a few grams of lavender seed were
brought from high in the French Alps and planted in Tasmania.
Every January,
fields of lavender paint the landscape of the Bridestowe Lavender
Farm near Lilydale, the only commercial lavender farm in the
southern hemisphere. Wander waist-deep in rows of lavender
and carry the scent of your holiday home with you. Take the
time
to browse around the area's wonderful craft outlets.
Head north to the coast to the sheltered beaches of the resort town of Bridport. Camp or caravan in nooks and crannies close to the sea; ski and swim or drop a line for a free feed of fish. Take a boat journey to beautiful Flinders Island, just six hours away.
Derby Street Scene Drive inland through the north-east's rich agricultural land to the mining hamlet of Derby which drew hundreds of Chinese seeking their fortunes in the boom days of 1870s- 1920s. Immerse yourself in their daily toil at the tin mine centre -- a recreated shanty town with a schoolhouse and mine workings. To see Tasmanian native animals in the wild, travel to the far north- eastern corner of the coast, where the eucalypt forests of Mount William National Park are habitat to over half of Tasniania's native species, including the Forester kangaroo. Choose a secluded camping spot and scan the skies for pelicans and other sea birds which sweep the coast throughout the year.
The scent of the forests and the spray of falls
Just half an hour's drive from Launceston, Hollybank's 40-minute 'walk of change' passes through a forest of Tasmania's major timber species. Follow the interpretive signs to see how each forest type is harvested and regenerated and stroll beneath exotic deciduous trees and rows of English ash trees, planted early this century for the manufacture of tennis rackets. Stay on for a barbecue.
Turn off the sealed road to make your way to the isolated, spectacular reserves of the Blue Tier, Mount Victoria, Mathinna Falls and the Evercreech Forest. Take a guided eco-walk along the original pack trails to abandoned mine workings on the Tier. Walk the forest trails, swim at the base of the Mathinna Falls in summer and take in the stark beauty of the gunbarrel trunks of the tallest flowering plants in the world -- Tasmania's forest white gums -- in the Evercreech Reserve.
Buy a block of delicious local cheese from Pyengana then picnic in the fern glades below the spectacular St Columba Falls, spilling 110 metres into the St Georges River.
Enjoy a cold beer at the 'Pub in the Paddock'.