Road Trip - Luxe Lover

After disembarking in Devonport, make a beeline for your delightful accommodation, secreted away on the edge of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.

Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge offers a collection of chalet-style cabins and suites that are airy and modern – the perfect base from which to explore this World Heritage wilderness. Check in, refresh, and then enjoy an invigorating stroll along the applauded six-kilometre Dove Lake Circuit. Winding around majestic Dove Lake beneath the towering spires of Cradle Mountain, through fairytale woodland of ancient trees and moss, this trek is the perfect way to soak up fresh Tasmanian air.

Afterwards, retreat to the lodge’s Waldheim Alpine Spa, where treatment rooms come with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the alpine landscape. After dinner, sink into a leather chair by the open fire at Weindorfer Lounge and compare notes on your day’s outing.

Overnight at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge.

Peppers Cradle Mountain (Image: Peppers) 

Drive around the southern fringe of the national park before heading north to Pumphouse Point, your accommodation for this evening and a jaw-dropping destination on (and over) Lake St Clair. The hotel has a remarkable history, with architecture to match – the once abandoned hydroelectric pump house, built in the 1940s in Art Deco style, is located at the end of a long jetty jutting over Australia’s deepest lake.

Stay in one of the rooms here, or book the hotel’s newly opened Retreat. Surrounded by forest on the edge of the lake, this is a private luxury escape built for two, with views that embrace the lake’s changing moods.

The entire property was created to encourage interactions between guests and nature, so take advantage of the area’s many bushwalks (short and long), try fly fishing, slip a rowboat onto the water or simply sit by the fire with a glass of wine. Rooms are all-inclusive; you’ll find gourmet treats such as local cheese, Tasmanian wine and artisan crackers inside your mini bar, while in the evenings you can join other visitors around communal dining tables to discuss the day’s adventures over wholesome, chef-prepared meals.

Overnight at Pumphouse Point.

Pumphouse Point Retreat (Photo: Adam Gibson)

You’re headed south today, skipping Hobart for now to jump on the ferry (cars permitted) at Kettering for a quick escape to Bruny Island. A slip of land in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Bruny is a haven for food lovers. Make your first stop the Bruny Island Cheese Co., where a ‘cheese cellar door’ allows you to taste artisan rinds made on-site, including the Raw Milk C2 (a classic cooked curd cheese made in wooden hoops); or, order a woodfired pizza and a glass of wine to enjoy under the trees. Conveniently, the establishment is also the home to the Bruny Island Beer Co., where you can sip an Oxymoron dark pale ale or the Whey Stout, enriched with lactose.

Nearby at Get Shucked, sample ocean-fresh oysters paired with crusty bread and a drop of Tassie wine. You may also wish to call in on Bruny Island Cider, Bruny Island House of Whisky or Bruny Island Premium Wines – just make sure you leave enough time to walk up the staircase to Truganini Lookout, where you’ll enjoy 360-degree views of the island as well as insights into the area’s Aboriginal history.

Afterwards, check in to Hundred Acre Hideaway, where a gas-fired Japanese-style hot tub awaits on the deck.

Overnight at Hundred Acre Hideaway.

Get Shucked (Photo: Get Shucked Oysters)

It’s off to the state’s capital today, where local food and wine is a big part of the charm. Before you explore Hobart’s culinary scene, take a trip up the river to MONA (the Museum of Old and New Art), a spectacular, and often confronting, private museum that boasts radical architecture, its own vineyard, wine and beer companies, and some amazing dining experiences including Faro, where 13-metre-high ceilings and walls of glass create an incredible space in which to savour a black margarita and innovative tapas.

You could spent all day here, but if you make it back to the city in time for some retail therapy, visit Find Contemporary Jewellery Collective for locally crafted pieces, Grey and Felt for homewares, and Dick + Dora for jewellery and trinkets made from sustainable Tassie timbers.

A restorative facial at Quay Day Spa will set you up for a night on the town: cocktails at The Glass House, floating on Sullivans Cove, followed by dinner at the Italian-inspired ‘neo-bistro’, Fico. Rest your head at the very stylish Henry Jones Art Hotel, on the Hobart waterfront.

Overnight at Hobart’s Henry Jones Art Hotel.

Faro (Photo: Mona & Jesse Hunniford )

You’re heading in a leisurely loop back towards Devonport now, but today you’re only going as far as the Freycinet Peninsula, home to the stunning Wineglass Bay. It’s a dramatic landscape of pink-hued mountains, impossibly blue waters and powder-white sand; the accommodation here is equally spectacular.

Saffire Freycinet, part of the acclaimed Luxury Lodges of Australia portfolio, is a once-in-a-lifetime stay: a sophisticated, design-driven base that is as much about the setting as it is the accommodation. If you can, tear yourself away from your jaw-dropping suite for lunch on the water with Wineglass Bay Cruises, offering a glimpse of one of Tasmania’s most extraordinary places from the comfort of a 13-metre catamaran.

Back on land, a macadamia body scrub at Saffire’s award-winning spa is de rigueur; otherwise, take an afternoon nap before pulling up a chair in celebrated Palate restaurant, where the multi-course degustation menu comes with a warm welcome and stunning views.

Overnight at Saffire Freycinet.

Saffire (Photo: Adam Gibson)

You’ll no doubt be sad to leave Freycinet, but more wonderful experiences await in Launceston. You’ll be staying in the Magnolia Garden Pavilion within the heritage grounds of the opulent 1830s Italianate mansion, Hatherley House. The architecture (inspired by Chinese lanterns) is as intriguing as the garden; a sliding glass wall opens to a 150-year-old magnolia tree, and a private deck features an outdoor bath carved from volcanic stone. The pavilion is part of the Hatherley Birrell Collection, a portfolio of boutique accommodation that makes a stay in Tasmania’s second city truly memorable.

In the afternoon, visit Design Tasmania, on the edge of City Park, home to exhibitions and a shop that celebrates Tasmanian craftsmanship. Enjoy an aperitif at Geronimo Aperitivo Bar and Restaurant before heading for a special dinner at Stillwater, where you’ll settle in for a five-course dinner of contemporary Tasmanian cuisine and matching wines.

Overnight at Magnolia Garden Pavilion.

White chocolate bavarois with Tasmanian black Perigord truffles and rhubarb sauce (Photo: Stillwater)

You’re heading back to Devonport today, but this luxe road trip isn’t over yet – you’re going to be driving through one of the most exciting New World wine regions on Earth. Sleep in then point the GPS toward lunch at Josef Chromy Wines. As well as producing superb sparkling wine, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay, the estate has a restaurant offering high-end fare that heroes local produce. Combine lunch with a behind-the-scenes tour to update your wine knowledge.

On the way up to Devonport, pick through an additional 30-plus Tamar Valley wineries including Dalrymple, Tamar Ridge, Jansz and Providence. This fertile valley produces some of Tasmania’s best vintages, and is a fitting place to end your week of indulgence.

Josef Chromy (Photo: Tourism Tasmania & Rob Burnett)