L’Officiel Malaysia – July 2019

L’Ofciel 159

reserve of bushland and cliffs by the Esk River. Just fifteen

minutes from the centre of Launceston, this park is famous for

its walking and hiking trails, the world’s longest single span

chairlift and a free open swimming pool. Here you can wander

the gardens full of peacocks, enjoy a meal in the restaurant

or just sit quietly and enjoy this tiny slice of wilderness in the

heart of the city.

Next, we visited the Harvest Farmers’ Market (harvestmarket.

org.au/+61 417 352 780). This is the most famous market in town.

Held every Saturday morning, you’ll be able to savour a cup of

locally roasted coffee and cool-climate wines and taste your

way through cheeses, homemade preserves, premium produce

and artisanal breads. A changing roster of street musicians

entertains the weekend crowd.

After which, we headed on to Josef Chromy Wines (josefchromy.

com.au/+61 3 6335 8700). Wine’s like lifeblood here, so it only

makes sense to turn this trip into a more appreciative wine-

cation. A formidable, gleaming trophy was the first thing to

greet us at this slick cellar door in Relbia, just a 10-minute

drive south of Launceston. This award-winning brand boasts

of a 91-hectar vineyard and is home to some of the state’s best

drops. After a tasting session of their best, we were treated to

a sumptuous lunch with wine pairing.

If you’re in town, you can’t miss Stillwater (stillwater.com.au/+61

3 6331 4153) for dinner. Situated in a converted 1830s flourmill,

this restaurant sits right on the banks of the Tamar River and

has a beautiful outlook. With a strong focus on seasonal local

produce, it’s a firm local favourite as well as a national award

winner. The food (and the service) is marvellous, but the stars

of the meal were the dozen local oysters we had presented five

ways as a starter and the Nichols chicken served with garlic

and black sesame dressing, pickled cucumber and Korean

chilli sauce—each a mouthful to tell your grandchildren about.

It isn’t a trip to Australia without a hot-air balloon ride and this

trip made the experience accessible. The adventure started

with an early morning pickup from our hotel by Liberty Balloon

Flights (libertyballoonflights.com.au/+61 4 00 69 4299) staff

before we travelled out to the launch pad area to hop aboard

the hot-air balloon. After 30 minutes of inflating the balloon,

we started the day drifting 300 m above farmyards, mansion

and the lovely town. Everyone got a spectacular view of the

sun rising in the east and the pink tones and long shadows

hitting the countryside below. On our flight, we travelled around

17 km in a northeasterly direction from Carrick to the pretty

agriculture town of Hagley. What a great way to end to our last

day in Tasmania.

After all, charm is what Tasmania does best. I judge my travels

by the density of the memories they create. The more distinctly

I recall the days, the more satisfied I feel. By the standard of

sheer unforgettability, the six days I spent in Tasmania were as

rewarding as any trip I have ever made—and fortunately, the

recollections are all pleasant. A few months later, I can clearly

think of a dozen different chapters. In fact, there is just one

thing I can’t remember about Tasmania: why I had left after

only six days?

HOW TO GET THERE

If you haven’t explored Hobart yet, you really need to get down

there—and Singapore Airlines has the flights you need. They

fly direct to Melbourne where you make a transfer to Hobart via

their partner airline Virgins Australia.

Launceston - Courtesy of Tourism Tasmania

and Rob Burnett

Cataract Gorge - Courtesy of Tourism Tasmania

Hobart at night - Courtesy of Jarred Seng