Food diary · Tasmania

Tasmania, Paddock to Plate

Oysters straight from the farm gate, cellar-door grazing boards and proper cool-climate cooking. Tassie quietly out-eats everywhere.

Tasmania is a food lover's best-kept secret. The seafood is some of the freshest in the world, the cool-climate wine is genuinely world class, and everything feels properly paddock to plate. We ate our way around the island and did not have a single bad meal.

The farm gates

Oysters straight from the source

If you love seafood, Tasmania will spoil you. We bought oysters by the dozen straight from the farm gates, freshly shucked, with nothing but a squeeze of lemon. They genuinely do not get fresher than this.

Tia's tip · Buy them by the dozen at the source and eat them right there. A picnic rug helps.

The wine valleys

Cellar-door grazing

Tasmania's cellar doors are made for long, lazy afternoons. We grazed through tasting flights and loaded platters with rolling vineyards out every window. The cheese alone is worth the trip.

For the girls · Pick one wine region and stay put. A grazing board and a view is the whole afternoon sorted.

Out to dinner

Proper cool-climate cooking

The restaurants here punch well above the island's size. Seasonal, local and beautifully plated, often with a glass of Tassie wine to match. Book the places by the water.

Worth the splurge · Reserve ahead for the popular spots, especially anywhere with a harbour view.

Slow mornings

Slow Tassie breakfasts

There is no rushing breakfast in Tasmania. Find a cosy cafe, order something far too photogenic, and let the morning unfold. The slow pace is the entire point.

Good to know · Cafes can be sleepy outside the main towns, so check the opening hours before you build your morning around one.