TASMANIA

When planning a recent trip to Australia, my partner Gary and I heeded the advice of some dear Australian friends and included in our trip down under a four day stay on the island of Tasmania – a somewhat isolated island with sprawling farm lands, beautiful ports, and very friendly locals.  By the end of the four days in Tasmania I told Gary that I had found our retirement destination.

We booked ourselves a room at the Henry Jones Art Hotel, which is located on Hobart’s waterfront and is Australia’s first dedicated art hotel.  The Hotel is a former jam factory that was transformed by architects Morris-Nunn & Associates into a unique property where the original bones of the factory were merged with modern building and design elements.  Modern amenities built with glass, wood and metals juxtapose against the original stone of the jam factory all while providing the unique ambience of the fishing port in which it resides at the very heart of Tasmania’s capital of Hobart.

Tasmania has some of the most magnificent sprawling farmlands in the world and produces amazing food products.  At the heart of their farming, Tasmania has very strict food control rules, tight farming regulations and anti-cruelty laws.  Tasmania exports its beef around the world to those looking for flavorful meat that comes from animals that have been allowed to eat plentiful grasses, who are not injected with chemicals, and whose life and death are treated with dignity and care.  The food itself was so flavorful and distinctive in texture and flavor to the region.  The hotel, knowing that Gary and I were foodies, made sure to send us to local restaurants where tourists seldom ventured.  I would say the best food we ate on our entire vacation came from our trip to Tasmania.  One restaurant in particular, situated inside an old Victorian house turned into a restaurant by a husband and wife (the husband the chef), was the tops.  Gary had the most succulent lamb chops, while I super indulged in a bouillabaisse (the best and hottest temperature wise) I have ever had, along with a pappardelle with veal ragu (yes – even veal is free range).

How do you top an amazing hotel and some great food experiences?  For us, it was our decision to travel to a local animal zoo / rehabilitation center on a dreary mid-week day.  We both love animals and prefer to give money to organizations that create environments that benefit the animals and the community at large. Tasmania’s zoo is just that place.  We were beyond fortunate to be the only guests at the zoos opening given the clouds, cold and drizzle, but in turn we received a private guided tour and found ourselves surrounded by hundreds of kangaroos and wallabies that we sat on the ground and played with for hours.  We gently caressed Koala bears (which leave your hands oily and smelling of sweet eucalyptus), got to feed Tasmanian devils (which are ferociously cute), and hold exotic birds given a second chance at life despite being unable to fly.  Despite the great hotel, food and nature drives, even walks along the infamous bridges in the sky (walking bridges built in the tree tops of a national park); this was our favorite part of the trip.  I will take cuddling up to a soft warm wallaby holding onto my hand to lick it over most anything else in this world.

If you are looking to slow down a bit, enjoy the sights and sounds around you, and revel in a place where industrialization has not fully enveloped the lands and people, Tasmania should be a must visit destination for you.

Now I just count how many more years of working until we can retire!