A week in northern Tassie

[PrezRegan]

Join me (and my partner) [my partner and I for the grammar naz_s out there] as we explore northern Tasmania for a week. Our itinerary will see us go from Devonport to Cradle Mountain, Strahan, and finally to Launceston. We’re staying in mostly Accor hotels and it should be an interesting and visually stunning adventure. Hopefully it’s not too cold!

This is a bit different from my usual travel and TRs but I promise we won’t be slumming it through some of the most beautiful parts of Tassie.

May thanks to the team for their tips here

 

[PrezRegan]

Our journey begins in the Virgin () lounge. The lounge has great views but the food options are somewhat limited. Despite having no status I was able to get both of us in using my Amex card which is a small win. It did feel strange turning left instead of right at Canberra airport.

We have a direct flight to Melbourne before we board the Spirit of Tasmania for an overnight steam to Devonport. We managed to snag the last Deluxe cabin so it won’t be 8hrs of reclining chairs for us (thank god). Annoyingly there’s no easy way to get to Geelong where the ship departs so rather than juggling buses and trains we might just get an uber there.

Our inbound plane has just landed (20 mins late) and I realised there’s no point rushing as I’m boarding group last with no status!

Edit: I forgot to mention we’re flying Y

 

[PrezRegan]

I’m not going to bother reviewing the flight because besides being late, it was pretty unmemorable. Like Jetstar, you have to pay for everything.

We ended up paying about $120 for an uber to Geelong - definitely a good idea and cut out a lot of the hassle of getting a bus then uber or train and uber as there’s no direct link from the airport to the terminal. Checkin was quick and thankfully we can all board early and don’t have to sit in a waiting area.

Our cabin is at the very fore of the ship in the front right (or starboard) corner. Not much of a view right now but the room is quite nice and spacious, has an ensuite and some free wine which is a win. Wine from the onboard bar is about $12 a glass - about what you’d pay on the plane!

We don’t depart for another hour but I’m feeling pretty peckish so will definitely check out the buffet and report back. It’s $32 for hot food and $9 for dessert. There’s also some cafe style options as well.

 

[PrezRegan]

A belated update on the food - so it’s essentially a buffet at $32 pp which includes hot options and salads and a drink. The portions were generous but it’s not a bottomless buffet and tbh the food itself was pretty bland.

Hot options included a lamb massaman curry, pork shoulder, fish goujons and chicken drumsticks. There was also a selection of desserts for $9 extra - I treated myself to a brownie which was quite rich and actually not bad whilst my partner had a mini pavlova that had been clearly made by a caterer.

Overall, would probably dine again vs buying a sandwich or pastry from the other cafe on board or try to byo food given there’s nothing near the port.

The sailing itself over was smooth and I got a decent nights sleep. Our entry is delayed slightly due to traffic so we’re now disembarking at 0730 vs 0630 which I’m fine with because we can’t pick up the rental car until 0900 from the airport.

 

[markis10]

I am surprised Gull have not thought to add a stop to the pier for their airport service

 

[PrezRegan]

Yeah annoyingly not - from memory it’s still a 15 min uber from their closest stop

 

[PrezRegan]

So we arrived at our hotel, Peppers Cradle Mountain to discover that a fire alarm has gone off - and the fire truck is about 30 mins away.

However not all is lost for it is a beautiful day and a wombat has rocked up, so I’ll spend the time watching it eat grass less than a metre away.

 

[RooFlyer]

Should be platerpi in there too.

 

[PrezRegan]

Should be platerpi in there too.

I shall keep an eye out - all I’ve seen is one diseased looking trout in the pond :/

 

[Denali]

The cabin looks roomy. How was the trip overnight?

We once had a very enjoyable day spa and massage at Cradle Mount Peppers. What type of room did you get?

 

[PrezRegan]

So once the fire alarm debacle was resolved we were able to check in quite early at 1145. Booked a contemporary spa cabin and it’s quite nice!

Also got a small selection of goodies and it was nice to see a change to the usual free wine.

Might go for a walk around the tracks near the hotel and hit cradle mountain tomorrow.

 

[PrezRegan]

So after a walk I luxuriated in the bath with a couple of glasses of wine. With the floors are heated or the heating lights are super effective but it was lovely and warm. No pictures for this forum

After the bath I decided to grab dinner at the hotel restaurant. Unfortunately it’s just me for dinner tonight. There are two options here, the tavern (pretty much a pub/bistro) and a restaurant that does a 2 or 3 course set menu for $105 or $150. Look I’ll be honest, when I first sat down I was half thinking I should have gone to the tavern instead as there’s no way a dessert is $45- but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Dinner didn’t start off amazingly. When I rocked up at the restaurant I was advised that they don’t do walkins - so I asked if I could make a reservation. This is despite the fact the restaurant was mostly empty and it was 1900 at the time. After the lady at the desk grabbed my details she promptly showed me to a table overlooking the lake (pond) - which does make me wonder why she even bothered going through the above interaction…

I decided to get the abalone as an extra starter and the the beef carpaccio and the trout for a main, reserving dessert pending how the dishes went. I also opted to use a drink voucher to get a glass of riesling. It was good to see that my drink choice wasn’t limited solely to the house wine.

Whilst I was sceptical at first, I was ultimately pleasantly surprised by the whole thing because all the dishes were delicious. Maybe not 1* but definitely better than what you could get a pub. I was impressed. So on the basis of that I’ve decided to order dessert as well.

The abalone was alright, a tad salty and came with with mushrooms.

The carpaccio was great, with a truffle sauce as well. The pickled onion cut through the richness.

The trout (which was actually salmon) was also very good - except there was a bone. Went very well with the dill and egg/potato and the charred cos.

 

[PrezRegan]

And unsurprisingly the dessert was also very good - a chocolate tart.

Would I pay $150 for this… probably not. But with 30% off thanks to Accor plus, sure!

Also it appears I wasn’t charged for the wine (nor did I have to use a voucher) but was advised I couldn’t use the voucher (or the drink discount from Accor plus) for the Capp I got with dessert - still I think I’m ahead but I might end up with two unused drinks vouchers

 

[RooFlyer]

The trout (which was actually salmon)

That's a no-no in Tasmania. Was it a menu shortage (of trout), or were they trying to make it fancier than it was? There's lots of trout farmed in Macquarie Harbour, along with salmon.

 

[PrezRegan]

And it appears whilst I was out they left *another* welcome gift which I might enjoy by the fire. I’m swimming in wine now…

 

[PrezRegan]

That's a no-no in Tasmania. Was it a menu shortage (of trout), or were they trying to make it fancier than it was? There's lots of trout farmed in Macquarie Harbour, along with salmon.

I’m not sure - the menu said trout but the waitress mentioned it would be salmon and another waitress who served me just said “market fish”.

It is slightly ironic given one of the things they advertise at the lodge is fly fishing - assumedly for trout in the lake (pond).

 

[PrezRegan]

Also does anyone know what this animal is? It looks like a cross between a quokka and a wallaby

.

 

[RooFlyer]

It is slightly ironic given one of the things they advertise at the lodge is fly fishing - assumedly for trout in the lake (pond).

Yes - the pond is or was catch-and-release. Have caught quite a few myself.

Also does anyone know what this animal is? It looks like a cross between a quokka and a wallaby

Probably a pademelon.

They used to line up fruit on the lodge balcony and you'd get a rush of all sorts!

 

[Myrna]

Following.
Early January, we are going to drive to Geelong (2 days driving) and take the SoT (day sailing, not night). I know kpc and I have discussed the benefits of flying and renting a car, but hubby wanted to take our own car! Even tho it will be day sailing, we have (extravagantly) booked a deluxe cabin both ways (!) - just in case I get seasick.
We will spend 10 days driving around Tasmania. Have booked the Gordon River cruise (15% off NRMA). All accommodation have been booked.

 

[PrezRegan]

Following.
Early January, we are going to drive to Geelong (2 days driving) and take the SoT (day sailing, not night). I know kpc and I have discussed the benefits of flying and renting a car, but hubby wanted to take our own car! Even tho it will be day sailing, we have (extravagantly) booked a deluxe cabin both ways (!) - just in case I get seasick.
We will spend 10 days driving around Tasmania. Have booked the Gordon River cruise (15% off NRMA). All accommodation have been booked.

We’re doing remarkably similar trips…. Guess what I’m doing tomorrow haha

The SoT across was incredibly smooth, didn’t feel the movement at all. Taking your own car is cheaper in the long run I think and less hassle. I probably wouldn’t do SoT again just because of price but for the novelty it was good