Touring Tasmania

If you have the time, I suggest you hire a car and tour through Tasmania. It's not a large island and you can get from one side of Tasmania to the other in a day.

A visit to Strahan, a very picturesque fishing village is a must. The serene village is a perfect place to relax or grab a bite to eat. I would suggest 42o restaurant which has an excellent selection in its buffet. 

Strahan is ideal for fishing, (naturally!) or you can unwind with a river cruise or be more adventurous and go hiking to the Hogarth Falls.

A lovely Bed and Breakfast to stay at is Ormiston House, a grand federation mansion located just on the edge of the harbour. The rooms are well appointed and the decor is reminiscent of a bygone era.

This historic home makes you feel like you have stepped back in time. The present owners are there to welcome you warmly and take care of your needs.

Ormiston House

Another must on your visit to Tasmania is Cradle Mountain. The Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park has no trees and has a ragged wild landscape. There are man different types of accommodation available, we chose Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, our room was a cabin with spa facilities. The cabin is spacious and well appointed, you may need to bring your supplies as the availability of items are limited, the alternative is the Tavern Bar & Bistro at the lodge. The restaurant proved to be our best options and we were happy with the meals & service.

One way to see Cradle Mountain is via horseback; it's a pleasant ride along Speeler plain and there are a few different horse riding tour stables to choose. The one we chose had well groomed and trained horses.

Driving to the above places takes you through winding roads which can be a little tricky but it's well worth the trip. There are so many other parts of Tasmania to visit, like Freycinet or even visiting Richmond or Port Arthur, which are only a hop skip & jump from Hobart. 

So take the time to explore this lovely state.

Nant Whiskey Cellar & Bar, Salamanca Tasmania

As we stayed just above Salamanca, we easily strolled through the area and ended up at Nant - whisky cellar & bar after a leisurely lunch.  It looked very inviting, with its beautiful decor and inviting ambience, and of course, we took up that invitation.

Not being a whiskey drinker, l was weary as to what I could have here. There are a few choices that don't have whisky but I noticed they had something I enjoy and decided to choose the affogato- coffee infused whisky with whisky flavoured ice cream and espresso coffee - the coffee infused scotch was divine, they sold me on it!  Unfortunately, it's not for sale; they make it on site, where they drip feed whisky through the coffee. Means I'll have to go back!

My companion who enjoys whisky had the American oak sherry barrel 43% scotch - and enjoyed that.  They have whiskey tasting available if you want to try some of the award-winning Nant whiskies.

                     

It's a beautiful place just to sit and relax. I love the ambience of this bar, when we were there it was somewhat empty but it does come to life at night. I do prefer the quieter times, though. Make sure you put it on your list of places to check out.

Salamanca Tasmania

There's a lot to do in Salamanca on a Sunday, but I must say lots of it revolves around food.

The Salamanca market is perfect for crafts and foods on the run. The picturesque port is relaxing to sit by and enjoy. There are plenty of eateries if you love seafood around his port.

With the weather at its best - warm and sunny, you can't go past a seat at an outdoor restaurant. 

On this day, we chose Maldini, an Italian restaurant amongst the heritage buildings and restaurants.

I decided on the eye fillet salad on the specials board ( rocket, pecorino cheese, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, onions & eye fillet in a pesto dressing).

My companion chose the braised beef cheeks. The beef cheeks were well cooked and fell apart came accompanied by cauliflower purée.

 I have to say mine was delicious and good value for money. My companion enjoyed his and stated 'it was different in taste, he believed due to the star anise'.  The Italian Chianti we sampled was enjoyable.

There are many restaurants to choose from at Salamanca depending on what cuisine you prefer and your budget.

If you love themed restaurants, this is one for you. The Drunken Admiral featuring chef Jamieson Godfrey is a real well-themed seafood restaurant.

                     

 When you walk in and look around you, feel like you're inside a ship. It has so much ship & sea paraphernalia; you just don't know where to look next. 

                   

                 

A lot of the seafood is fresh from the Tasmanian waters, and it can be cooked, grilled, battered, crumbed or even cooked on a hot stone at your table.  The seafood platter for 2 is quite good value at $116 and has a good selection of fish and seafood.

We chose the fresh Tasmanian oysters, which were superb and then followed it with grilled Salmon that accompanied by a salad and your choice of rice, fries or potatoes.  The food was good, the ambience fun and if you'd like a little privacy, there is a cute two person table tucked into a small boat where you can have a private tete a tete. 

Next post, more of Tassie.

Hobart Tasmania & MONA

Taking a short break to Tasmania, we decided to stay somewhere less touristy; we arrived at Grand Vue Heritage House Private Hotel at 8 Mona St Rickets Point Tasmania. A beautiful stately period home wonderfully maintained with well appointed large rooms including a kitchenette with toaster, kettle, mini fridge & microwave. 

The room we were assigned had a large king size bed with a generous bathroom including a spa bath. A fireplace, tv, wifi and a view over Hobart.

Some lovely touches included chocolates by your bedside and hot mini muffins brought to your door late afternoon. With a proper selection of teas and the plunger coffee available in your room its pleasant way to recharge after a day out exploring.

A lovely hotel to stay in a convenient location, with some nice little touches. If you want to order the breakfast they can provide, make sure you place the order before cutoff time or, you'll miss out.    

                                          

Hobart is the capital of Tasmania and a beautiful port. It's very hilly and has a large coastal area being an island. Its climate is on the cooler side but has picturesque landscapes. There are some lovely areas to visit within 2-3 hrs drive. 

One place I'd suggest which is just outside the city is Mona (Museum of Old and New Art), the building itself as interesting as the art itself is thought provoking.

              

 

Tasmania is a great place for a short getaway, but if you have the time I have some suggestions to places to see and do next post.

Vienna, Austria

Our final destination in Austria had to be the capital, Vienna.

Main shopping mall

After spending so much time in the Austrian Alps it was difficult to adjust at first to the hustle & bustle of a thriving metropolis. It didn't take long though, before we loved being in this fabulous city.

We stayed at Derag Livinghotel An der Opera Karntnerstrasse 44 Innere Stadt Wien.  The hotel is 50mts from the State Opera and the Karlsplatz underground train station. A very good location. We booked standard rooms and were amazed at the size of the rooms. The room included a large lounge, bathroom and dining area. The only drawback is the one/two person lift but it's an easy walk
upstairs.

A great place to check out and learn about the history of Vienna is Schonbrunn Palace. Being winter it was great to be indoors on this particular rainy day and visit this 1441 room former imperial summer residence. The palace and Imperial family history are explained on the guided tours. The rooms are a showplace of the beautiful architecture and decor of the Rococo style at its best.

The food in Austria is one of my favourite things, we tasted and enjoyed many hearty meals that were ideal during the cold weather. Figlmuller Restaurant is well known for its schnitzels, they are larger than the plate and there always is a wait to get a table, but it's well worth it.  Another very lovely and traditional cuisine restaurant to try is Lugeck, or Cafe Schwarzenburg a traditional Viennese coffee house dating back to the 19th century, is a good place for breakfast. We loved that Vienna has a  coffee culture that's impressive, there are many speciality coffee houses you can try out.

If you want a great view and a good perspective of the size of Vienna, visit Donauturm. It's a quick train trip to get there and not overly expensive to go up. There are 3 levels to view from, the outdoor platform, the indoor platform, and the revolving restaurant. We happen there on an extremely windy day and had to fight the winds to use the outdoor platform, must say its was fun, though. After battling the winds we sat down for a coffee at the restaurant while we got a great view of all around Vienna as the restaurant did its rotations.
We stayed 3 nights in Vienna and that was nowhere near enough to see this beautiful city and its history as the centre of Europe. This is the cultural capital of Europe with its music and arts. This city is a must on any european tour.

Back to London, then home.

Hallstatt, Austria

The drive from Salzburg to Hallstatt was easy. Once we arrived, we were required to put the car in an
carpark on the outskirts of town, as there are no cars allowed in Hallstatt, except for the guest transfer vehicles.

Hotel - Seehotel Gruner Baum

Our Hotel - Seehotel Gruner Baum a four-star superior hotel on the water's edge with panoramic views of Lake Hallstatt. The hotel has well-appointed rooms that have seen many well-known names visit. The hotel that is circa 1700's faces the historic market square. The Zum Salzbaron restaurant has an excellent view overlooking the lake and is known for serving fresh fish caught daily from the lake.

Hallstatt is a very small town but well known for its tranquility, panoramic views and it summer & winter activities(there are some ski slopes nearby).

Every time we travelled to another mountain on lake district; we were stagger by the natural beauty of the region. The Austrian mountains are where you experience the moments that take your breath away.

The sun peaking over th mountains made thee scenery even more spectacular then before. 

I would wholeheartedly recomend a visit to Hallstatt just to sit and enjoy the view. There isn't alot to do in winter in the town itself but skiing is an option not far away. Would love to re-visit in summer when the water sports are available, another place for my re-visit list.

We were sorry we only managed to stay one night, we would have loved to hang around and enjoy our surroundings but we had to be off to the final leg of our Austrian Journey and headed for Vienna, Austria's capital.