Fat Pig Farm

Earlier this year, we made a booking to visit Matthew Evans' farm, Fat Pig Farm, however unfortunately our initial booking had to be postponed due to covid. So, when the farm reopened mid-way through the year, we were very excited to venture down south for a long lunch feast.

A day at Maria Island

A few weeks ago, not long after the travel restrictions within Tasmania lifted, we decided to make the most of living in this beautiful state, and headed over to Maria Island for a day trip. It takes about 1.5 hours to drive from Hobart over to Triabunna, where the ferry to Maria Island departs each day. Due to the low tourism activity at the moment, there was just one ferry that departed Triabunna that morning (at 10am) and one ferry that arrived back at Triabunna in the afternoon (leaving Maria Island at 3:30pm), so we knew we wouldn't have too long to explore the island.

The Three Capes Track

 

Ever since moving to Tasmania over four years ago, Dave and I have really wanted to embark on the Three Capes Track, however it wasn't until this year that we finally booked in for the four day hike.

A weekend away on the east coast

Given that restrictions were lifted in Tasmania last week so that Tasmanians can now travel around the state, we decided that the long weekend would be the perfect time to escape to Tassie's east coast for a few days. We managed to find a beautiful, dog-friendly house on Air Bnb that was located in Dolphin Sands, a small town near Swansea.

A day trip to Bruny Island

It is often not until we have friends visiting us in Tasmania that we spend time exploring many of Tasmania's beautiful locations. Last weekend was no exception. My friend Davina came to stay with us for a few days, and as it was her first time in Tasmania, I wanted to take her to one of my favourite places in Tassie's south - Bruny Island.

My travel anxiety tips

For years, I had no issues surrounding anxiety when flying. I would be more than happy to hop on a plane, enjoy the excitement of take off and the occasional spot of turbulence, and look forward to landing in a new destination. However over the past few months, I seem to have developed a bit of anxiety when flying, so I wanted to share some tips regarding what has helped to make my flying experience more enjoyable and a bit less anxiety-inducing.

A family holiday to Lord Howe Island

In mid-December, my extended family (all 9 adults and 3 children) set off on a trip to Lord Howe Island, a spot that we used to visit as a family when we were younger (however we realised that it is nearly 20 years since that last occurred). Lord Howe Island is a unique place, with no mobile phone reception and limited internet access, and a maximum of 400 guests allowed on the island at any time. It is known for its exquisite natural beauty, including an array of unspoiled beaches, incredible mountains to hike, and many amazing snorkelling, diving and fishing spots to explore.

My Tasmanian travel guide

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive from friends who are visiting Tasmania is "what are your must-see places in Tasmania?". While I try to point them to the best towns, sights, cafes and restaurants, my thoughts can be quite scattered, so I wanted to put my top tips into one central blog post. I have written travel guides for Hobart and Launceston in the past, however I wanted to condense all of the best of Tassie into one spot. Hopefully the below tips will be useful to anyone visiting Tasmania, or who have friends or family visiting and would like a local's tips on what to do and see.

A week in Queenstown, New Zealand

One of the places that has been on my travel bucket list for many years is Queenstown, New Zealand. When we discovered that we could both take a week off work at the end of August, we decided to book in some flights and accommodation for 7 nights in the magical town of Queenstown. Even though I had pretty high expectations, the beauty and magnificence of this town definitely exceeded them. I've provided a guide below of our favourite activities and places we ate and drank, as well as a bit of info on where we stayed.

My travel packing tips

Since moving to Tasmania a few years ago, I have definitely become more of an expert in the area of packing, due to the increased number of trips we make back to the mainland (I really am Tasmanian now) for weddings, family occasions, long weekends and holidays. Over this time, I have honed in on a number of packing habits that I try to adopt each time that I embark on a trip away from home.

A snowy weekend at Lake St Clair

Dave and I were very keen to have a snowy weekend away at some stage this winter, so when we booked in a weekend away to Lake St Clair a few months ago, we had our fingers crossed that we would see some snow. Thankfully, the night before we left, Lake St Clair received a large dumping of snow, providing us with a beautifully picturesque weekend away.

Where I ate and drank in Melbourne for a week

A couple of weeks ago, Dave and I were in Melbourne for 8 days while he attended a work course. As I was still working throughout the week, I took the opportunity to wander around this incredible city and explore some of my favourite cafes from which to work, while also discovering a few new places.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

 

A few months ago, one of my friends who lives in Melbourne posted a photo to Instagram of her lunch experience at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, and as soon as I saw it (and asked her about her experience there), I jumped on their website and made a booking, knowing that we would be in Melbourne for a week in June.

My favourite cafes and restaurants outside of Tasmania's main cities

I have written a few blog posts on my favourite cafes and restaurants in Hobart and Launceston, however there are a number of awesome spots scattered around the outskirts of Tasmania that I have loved discovering when I have found myself outside of Tasmania's two major cities. If you are exploring Tasmania and are in search of some good food, coffee, beer or wine, then continue reading.

Cascade Brewery, Hobart

Located just a few minutes' drive south of Hobart's CBD, Cascade Brewery is Australia's oldest operating brewery, and is a beautiful spot to visit if you are looking to do some beer tasting on a brewery tour, or if you are just after somewhere to sit in the sun for lunch and a drink.

My favourite cafes and restaurants in Byron Bay

 

Having just spent this past week in Byron Bay, I had the opportunity to try out a range of cafes and restaurants over the five days I was there. This was my second visit to Byron Bay, my first being for my birthday last August (you can see my Byron Bay travel guide here), so there were a number of places I wanted to revisit on this trip, but there were also a few new discoveries which are worth a mention.

Where to eat and drink in Brisbane

This week I visited Brisbane for the first time, and as is the case with any new place I visit, I wanted to hunt down the best cafes and restaurants in the city. After doing a bit of research over the past few weeks, I came up with a bit of a list of places to hit up, leaving a bit of room for any spots that I stumbled across on my travels that looked interesting. If you're heading to Brisbane in the near future, or are just interested in what I ate, continue reading.

My favourite beaches in Tasmania

One of the many things I love about Tasmania is the expanse of incredible beaches on offer, often only a short drive away from where you are living or staying. In particular, I love the fact that you might visit one of these beaches in the middle of summer, and be one of the only people on the sand or in the water (a very foreign concept for someone who grew up in Sydney). I thought I'd put together a list of my top five favourite beaches in Tasmania, though it was hard narrowing it down to just five, given how many beautiful, clean, serene and uncrowded spots there are in this amazing state.

A weekend in Bicheno

Since moving to Tassie just over three years ago, I have really wanted to make the effort to explore as many areas of this beautiful state as possible. Over these past few years, we’ve explored a lot of the Launceston, Hobart and Burnie areas (having lived in each of these towns/cities for at least a year), and have had a few weekends away in the more remote areas of Strathgordon, Bruny Island, Cradle Mountain, Arthur River and Lake St Clair. However, one of the areas that we’ve really been keen to visit is the greater east coast area.

Born in Brunswick, North Hobart

Whenever I get asked about my favourite places to head to for breakfast in Hobart, one of the cafes that is at the top of my list is Born in Brunswick. So, when my two sisters and my niece came to visit Hobart this week, I definitely wanted to take them here for breakfast.