Historically, one associates Tassie with freezing temperatures, tonnes of the fluffy white stuff aka snow, road closures due to weather, amazing winter festivals but we have had a strange winter so far. We had a Winter Feast and Nude Solstice Swim highlighting Dark MOFO, the last Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival, and weather that can only be described as crazy. Yes, there have been some very cold days causing us Tassie folk to rug up, but when the precipitation arrived it’s been so warm that whatever little snow might have been around melted which is unfortunate. In the last 3 days, the mighty Kunanyi/Mt. Wellington would’ve received almost 200mm of rain in the middle of July which should be one of the coldest months. We should have had metres high walls of snow along the Pinnacle Road leading up to the summit, but instead we have water flowing all over the mountain which has caused the ‘Disappearing Tarn’ to appear.

We had an epic day of great weather down in Southern Tasmania last Saturday – blue skies and sunshine. A day which simply called out to me to take a trip down to the Tasman Peninsula with stunning vistas.

I recently had the opportunity of visiting the historic town of Oatlands. Located in the “Heartlands” on the Heritage Highway to Launceston, there are a few historic towns worth the visit. Oatlands is a little over an hour from Hobart and one of the most beautiful country towns in Tassie with a high concentration of old sandstone buildings. I personally have wanted to approach the Premier to rename the highway to the “Tassie Whiskey Way” as when you leave Hobart, you have the Lark Distillery in Pontville, then Old Kempton Distillery in Kempton and slightly further afield Callington Mill Distillery in Oatlands.

I've lived in Tasmania for 5+ years though I moved to Hobart back in October 2021 (in the middle of the dreaded pandemic). Since I've moved to "the big smoke", I've hardly gone back to visit a place that I associate with so many wonderful memories – Freycinet and the beautiful coast line stretching all the way to "The Gardens".

Tasmania's vibrant wine and spirits scene holds a special place in my heart. As a chilled-out aficionado of tasty tipples, I have been fortunate enough to explore the remarkable establishments that make this region a premier destination for wine and spirits enthusiasts. Let me share with you my most recent experiences of two exceptional locations: Bangor Vineyard Shed & Spring Bay Distillery.

This enchanting valley nicknamed by locals the ‘valley of love’ will steal your heart for much more than a day. There is a reason why it encompasses one of Australia's best towns (New Norfolk bronze award for top tourism town).