11.16.19 Josef Chromy Winery

We started the day with a trip to the Harvest Saturday market. It's a great market with lots of options. I bought Metcalf Distilleries Reckless Gin that's distilled with native Tasmanian plants at the botanicals.

We also had a delicious gluten free salted caramel fudge brownie. I had a sausage roll that tasted more like meatloaf on the inside than sausage.

After the market, we headed to the City Park. We were surprised to find monkeys hanging out in little zoo enclosure.

 

The Park is lovely.

 

 

It was time to head to Josef Chromy Vineyards. Glenn had found a special event - Effervescence Tasmania that was offering a Long Lunch in the vineyard. Very exciting. Josef Chromy is the premier winery in Tasmania. We had the most wonderful lunch. Josef himself even sat with us and the winemaker Jeremy. It was very special.

 

Jeremy

 

Josef Chromy

We ended up sitting by Carl and Ananlese - Americans who live in Melbourne. We had a great time chatting them. Everyone around us was so lovely and offered lots of tips for the rest of our time in Tasmania.

 

 



 

11.15.19 Bay of Fires

Grayline was very gracious to give us a discount to try their Small Group Bay of Fires tour. We joined 8 other travelers and left Launceston around 8:00 am.

Our first stop was Bristowe Lavender Farm.

 

Then we headed to a small town bakery - Cottage Bakery to pick up supplies for lunch. The landscape transitioned from farms to rain forest. We did the Weldborough Pass Rainforest Walk. It was very interesting to see the root systems and how the sassafras trees would attach themselves to the ancient ferns for extra nutrients.

 

 

Then it was time for Bay of Fires. Bay of Fires got its name because it was the location of many aboriginal communities due to the saltwater lagoons that provided fish. These communities kept their fires burning all the time so when explorers sailed in the bay they saw smoke from many fires. The scenery is stunning.

 

We took a walk on powdery white sand on an empty beach.

 

On our way back to Launceston, we stopped at Lease 65 Oyster Farm. We learned how to tell egg producing oysters (diploids) from non-egg producing oysters (triploids). The diploads were creamier. The Triploids were firmer.

 

Back in Launceston, we headed to O'Keefe's for a pub supper.

 

11.14.19 Cataract Gorge and Exploring Launceston

Thursday morning we got a late start - about 11:30 am. I was working and Glenn was blogging.

We headed out and our first stop was Cataract Gorge. Every article I read this was a must see attraction. I agree. It's a wonderful park with easy to hard hiking trails, a suspension bridge, restaurants, and a chair list. Allegedly, this is the longest single strand chair lift in the world. It stretches from one side of the Park to the other.

 

 

After the Gorge, we headed to Penny Royal Wine Bar for lunch. I read good reviews. i was not prepared for everything this little area had to offer: Cliff Walk, Zip Line, Dark Ride, Rock Climbing, and Ghost Island. It was exactly the type of place you'd see on the main strip in Gatlinburg. Lunch was really good so it was worth the stop.

 

We dropped the car back at the apartment and headed into town. First stop was the Town Clock for some quick pictures. Then off to Boags Brewery - the main brewery in town. The best thing I had there was the gin tasting.

 

 

We headed up the street to a pub that advertised a beer garden. After walking through a very smoky keno lounge, we had the beer garden all to ourselves. Definitely a place to visit at night... only.

 

Our search for interesting beers continued to George Street - the main street through town. We had a great experience at Alchemy. The bartender was friendly. The place was clean and the gin and beers were very good. We decided to try Chinese for dinner. That also was very good. We headed back to the hotel to enjoy some Tasmanian Rose wine we bought.