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DETAILS
Getting there
Jetstar flies to Launceston from
most capital cities. jetstar.com
Staying there
Located on Lake St Clair,
PUMPHOUSE POINT is an iconic
Tassie escape that understands
the simple pleasures to be had
from a fine local wine and a cosy
fire. pumphousepoint.com.au
Eating there
Hearty country food can be
found at CLARENDON ARMS
HOTEL in Evandale.
clarendonarms.com.au
Playing there
If you’re feeling adventurous, hike
the seven-hour Mt Rufus Walk
or for those of a more sedentary
mindset, take the one-kilometre
Fisherman’s Trail as an easier
option, both of which are easily
accessible from Pumphouse
Point. In nearby EVANDALE, while
away an afternoon antiquing
and fossicking in the many
vintage stores and art galleries
that dot the pretty town.
evandaletasmania.comThe day begins with a morning
hike winding along one of the many
trails around the foreshore of the
lake and up high into the mountains.
congenial locals who sell everything from bone china
to whale bones (one store I visit has an enormous whale
skull for sale), along with vintage clothing, silverware,
oil paintings and knick-knacks of all varieties. I find
everything I didn’t know I needed from hand-knitted
cardigans and beeswax lip balm to a local watercolour for
my mum, and when I feel myself flagging, I stop for some
of the best scones in Australia at the Ingleside Bakery
Cafe in the Council Chambers built in 1867. I slather
the fluffy pillows in jam and cream and eat them in the
sunshine in the garden courtyard, but on cooler days a
spot by the bakery’s roaring fire would be equally enticing.
If you’re up for a heartier repast, go for lunch at the
Clarendon Arms Hotel, where the quirky decor on
the walls and shelves includes taxidermied animals that
gaze down on you as you order from a menu running
from chicken pot pies and burgers to lighter salads
and soups, best washed down with a Van Dieman stout
or a local pinot. And when you’ve satiated yourself
with food and shopping, Evandale is just minutes
down the road from Launceston airport, making it
the perfect pit stop before returning home to the city
from whence you came.
WEEKENDS | Tasmania