New York, Monday, Jan 27, 2020 - Tasmania, Australia's island state has plenty of news to share in 2020, with just open hotels, new culinary offerings and adventures, including exploring the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Tasmania's ancient landscapes and endemic flora and fauna make it the ultimate walking destination.

NEW HOTELS

Moss Hotel in Hobart is a new 41-room boutique hotel in Georgian sandstone warehouses, located in the historic docks of bustling Salamanca Place. The rooms, in soothing shades of forest green, highlight the raw timber beams and sandstone block walls within the warehouses.

mosshotel.com.au

Prospect House, at the gateway to Tasmania's historic Richmond Village, is a beautifully restored 1830s property, owned by the Pooley wine family. Guests at the 12-room retreat can visit the vineyard, jump on a bike to check out the town of Richmond or just enjoy the surrounding organic gardens.

prospecthouseprivatehotel.com.au

In Launceston, the recently opened Stillwater Seven, has seven rooms attached to the namesake, award- winning restaurant. Built in an iconic 1830's flour mill, each room is distinctly different and offers waterfront views. Stillwater Seven is located close to Cataract Gorge and a 10-minute walk to the city center.

stillwater.com.au/seven

At the base of The Nut, the Ship Inn Stanley, on Tasmania's north west coast, has been reimagined as a storytelling guest house. Each of the seven suites is crafted with original artwork and artefacts. There is also a yoga studio and gym in the former stables.

shipinnstanley.com.au

 

ADVENTURES

Enthusiasts are invited to come down to Tasmania for golf, fly fishing, walking and mountain biking, in ancient, pristine wilderness.

 

MOUNTAIN BIKING

In Tasmania, you can ride from the mountains to the sea. The Bay of Fires trail starts at Blue Tier, near Derby, and ends at the east coast. This epic 42-kilometre ride traverses rainforest and sub-alpine terrain, climbs through giant granite boulders and emerges on the white sand at Swimcart Beach. The St Helens Mountain Bike Trails over scenic routes for all experience levels on a whopping 66 kilometers of trails with eight stacked loops.

sthelensmtbtrails.com.au

 

FLY FISHING

Tasmania is one of the world's last great wild fisheries and recently hosted the World Fly Fishing Championships. Visitors can fish for wild brown and rainbow trout, from more than 3,000 lakes, rivers and streams.

 

RiverFly Wilderness Huts boasts direct access to the Western Lakes fishery and Walls of Jerusalem National Park. At Driftwater, step into a boat specially designed for its stability and ability to drift quietly in shallow water. Pair fishing with luxury boutique highland accommodation at 28 Gates in the Derwent Valley, or Thousand Lakes Lodge near Liawenee, a World Heritage Area.

riverfly.com.au driftwater.com.au

28gatesfarmstay.com.au; thousandlakeslodge.com.au

WALKING

Tasmania has long been a mecca for walkers and has received many accolades for its world-renowned walks in the Tasmanian World Heritage Wilderness Area. Tasmania has several iconic multi- day walks including the Overland Track in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, the Three Capes Walk in south-east Tasmania, and the recently opened wukalina Walk in north-east Tasmania.

Tasmania has a plethora of other short and multi-day walks through diverse landscapes, from glacial alpine mountains to beaches and coastal environments.

For a dose of Tasmania's beautiful alpine mountains, venture to Hartz Mountain. There are a variety of
short and longer walks. Meander on further to Tahune Adventures for a unique treetop view of the life cycle of the forest.

Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs, a one-hour drive south of Huonville, is a walk through Newdegate Cave, one of the largest dolomite caves in the southern hemisphere and where you can see spectacular crystal straws and stalactites, columns and shawls. The cave is only accessible on a guided ranger tour, but a 28-degree thermal spring is set among the towering trees, for a magical mid-winter dip experience.

 

GOLF

Tasmania has some of the most scenic and quirky golf courses in Australia, with links perched on the edge of dramatic coastlines, holes scattered throughout sand dunes and others surrounded by paddocks, dotted with grazing sheep.

Tasmania has four of the top 10 golf courses ranked by Australian Golf Digest in its Australian Top 100 list of 2018. Cape Wickham is a worthy recipient sitting at No 3. This King Island course presents a rare and dramatic mix of coastal holes that lean gently towards the ocean, with the eleventh hole positioned almost in the sea.

Ocean Dunes, also on King Island, overlooks the Great Southern Ocean. On the main island, Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm have wide open fairways and holes overlooking Bass Strait, winding through coast and dunes giving golfers an unforgettable experience and connection to the landscape.

MONA

Australia's largest private museum, the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) with ancient, modern and contemporary art, was founded by philanthropist, collector and professional gambler, David Walsh. Mona has a recently opened wing named Pharos, with four specially commissioned installations by James Turrell and other individual works by artists including Richard Wilson. Mona's Pharos explores light as a medium in
art, as well as being a contrast to some of the darker ponderings of the rest of the museum.

Pharos is also home to Mona's newest restaurant, Faro. Mona has its own pavilions for guests to stay, as well as a vineyard, Moorilla. Next up – David plans to build a hotel at Mona.

mona.net.au

ABORIGINAL CULTURE

Wallaby Walkabout Tours

Discover Launceston through the perspective of Tasmanian Aboriginal culture on a Wallaby Walkabout Tour. Geo McLean, a Tasmanian Aboriginal historian and former lecturer in Aboriginal Studies at the University of Tasmania is behind the tour. Visitors can also explore Cataract Gorge with Tasmanian Aboriginal elders, taste some of the bush tucker, and learn how to create personal souvenirs from natural resources. launcestonwalkingtours.com.au

THE WESTERN WILDS

The Western Wilds is a journey through rugged western Tasmania, where travelers can experience lush rainforests, alpine mountains, deep glacial valleys and wild rivers. The Western Wilds is home to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, that is one of the world's last great wilderness area. Visitors can bushwalk at Cradle Mountain, mountain bike at Maydena and tackle the world's highest abseil at Strathgordon, navigate the rapids at Franklin River or quad bike across the massive sand dunes at Ocean Beach in Strahan. westernwilds.com.au

CULINARY NEWS

Head 30 minutes south of Hobart to the Huon Valley which extends to the southernmost point in Australia. Serving as Hobart's abundant food bowl, with idyllic countryside, wilderness and waterways, the Huon Valley combines gourmet foodie experiences with natural beauty.

The Huon Valley originally gave Tasmania its namesake as The Apple Isle and in recent years has become known for its cider houses. Head to Willie Smith's Apple Shed and check out the museum and sample the ciders.

williesmiths.com.au

The region's newest farm-to-table haven is the
Port Cygnet Cannery, a winery and a farm, 50 minutes from Hobart in the Huon Valley. Chefs Asher Gilding and Franca Zingler use produce from small farms in the Huon Valley for their restaurant, café and beer garden, called Cannery Kitchen.

portcygnetcannery.com

Also new, IIlha, that was formerly the School House Coffee Shop serves tapas as well as a seasonal a la carte menu. The wine list features wine from Tasmania, mainland Australia, and South America. instagram.com/ilha_restaurant

Fat Pig Farm, a paddock- to-plate destination by farmer and chef Matthew Evans delivers an ever-changing menu from ingredients grown on the farm. Guests can book cookery classes, learn about “the ethical hierarchy of food”, or take a farm tour and discover how to plant and harvest in harmony with the seasons.

 fatpig.farm