There’s a quiet kind of magic in a road trip – the feeling of unhurried freedom, of landscapes slowly unfolding through the windscreen, of stopping not because you must, but because something beautiful called you to pause. The drive from Launceston to Freycinet offers just that: a journey shaped not just by distance, but by discovery.
Leaving the stately charm of Launceston behind, the road eastwards winds through rolling countryside, dotted with cool-climate vineyards and roadside farm gates offering seasonal produce. There’s time to savour long, wine-soaked lunches or sample artisan fare made with respect for local ingredients. This is a route where indulgence meets authenticity – luxurious, but never loud.
As the coast draws near, the terrain shifts. Hills give way to glimpses of a sapphire sea, and that first view of the Hazards – those ancient pink granite peaks – is unforgettable. Freycinet National Park feels like it was placed at the edge of the world for dreamers and seekers. Here, pristine white beaches and eucalyptus forests await, their silence broken only by waves and birdsong.
What makes a road trip so joyous is this blend of spontaneity and intention. The journey is yours to shape: a detour for oysters, a stop to walk barefoot on a quiet beach, or simply a moment to breathe in air scented by salt and gum trees. There’s luxury in that kind of choice, in the richness of experience over itinerary.
Tasmania, in its wild elegance, lends itself perfectly to this kind of travel. The road from Launceston to Freycinet isn’t just a route – it’s a celebration of taste, place, and the slow pleasure of getting there.
Tasmania’s East Coast: Where to eat, stay and play
Swansea
Homestead
With views towards the Hazards, the Homestead restaurant at Piermont Retreat is the perfect place for a pitstop. Enjoy a drink on the terrace before a meal of local, seasonal dishes in an elegant dining room where a fire roars in winter and cool breezes waft through in summer.
Milton Vineyard
Food miles tend to be measured in metres rather than miles in Tasmania, and the restaurant at Milton Vineyard is a prime example, with much of the produce served coming from their own garden. What they haven’t grown onsite is sourced from local farmers and growers, and, of course, it can be enjoyed with a glass or two of their handmade pinot noir, chardonnay, syrah and rieslings.
Coles Bay
Saffire Freycinet
You could be fooled into thinking it’s all about the view at Saffire Freycinet, a luxury lodge that sits within the Freycinet National Park and enjoys a jaw-dropping outlook over the Hazards from every room. In truth, the views are just part of what makes this all-inclusive, all-suite stay such an incredible experience. Guided walks through pristine wilderness, including world-renowned Wineglass Bay; oyster shucking in the waters of Great Oyster Bay; and fine-dining and wines are all wonderfully memorable elements of this experience of Tasmania at its most luxurious.
Freycinet Marine Farm
By the shores of Coles Bay, on the road that swoops into Freycinet, you’ll find Freycinet Marine Farm, a haven for seafood lovers. From their six growing regions in the area, you can taste the freshest oysters, mussels, Tasmanian rock lobster and scallops. Enjoy a seafood feast at the picnic tables in the garden, or take your bounty to enjoy at one of the area’s white sand – and likely deserted – beaches.
Bicheno
Sea Stacks
Inspired by the granite that’s a key part of the surrounding landscape, the self-contained Sea Stacks are luxurious, architecturally designed odes to Tasmania’s rugged scenery. Set overlooking a rivulet just north of Bicheno, the three Stacks – each designed for a couple and fully stocked with breakfast provisions, a bath and a king-size bed – offer an immersion in nature, silence and splendid isolation.
Le Coq
French flavours and techniques blend beautifully with Tasmanian produce at Le Coq. Helmed by chef Tristan Punelle, the restaurant combines his classic training with ingredients from his adopted home.
Lobster Shack Tasmania
Tassie is known for its southern rock lobster, and there’s nowhere better to enjoy it than at Lobster Shack Tasmania, overlooking the Gulch in Bicheno, just metres from the fishing boat that catches them. Famous for its luscious lobster rolls, the Shack also serves locally produced drinks, and fresh seafood to cook at home.
Waubs Distillery
Windows are wide open and barrels of whisky are aged in sea air at Waubs Distillery, perched on the ocean’s edge in an old oyster hatchery in Bicheno. This truly maritime single malt whisky is meticulously crafted with water from the nearby Apsley River, malted Tasmanian barley and, soon, local and unique organic peat made from decayed local reeds, melaleuca tree and salt bush. Tours and tastings are available.
On the Road between East Coast and Launceston
It’s a casual cruise from the rugged charm of Bicheno, through rolling hills, to the gastronomic peaks of Launceston. There’s plenty of opportunity for pitstops along the way, including dairy farms, vintage stores and yet more lovely wineries.
Pyengana Farmgate Café
More than 130 years of cheesemaking tradition is alive and well at Pyengana Dairy in the state’s north-east. With milk sourced from a single herd of cows that graze just 100 metres from the cheesery, the cheesemakers of Pyengana create a variety of richly flavoured cheddars and blue cheese. Enjoy a tasting platter in the garden, or gather supplies for a cheese plate later in your trip.
Floating Sauna, Derby
This island loves a hot box, but the Floating Sauna Lake Derby is the OG, in all its wood-fired lake-side glory. Join a public session or book something more private to experience the health benefits (and sheer exhilaration) of steaming up in the sauna before plunging into the refreshing waters of Breseis Hole (aka Lake Derby). You’ll be on a high for the rest of the day.
Clover Hill Wines, Lebrina
Ancient volcanic soils, a cool, frost-free maritime climate, and a sheltered, naturally sloping amphitheatre combine to create the ideal environment for sparkling wine. Here at Clover Hill, the winemakers use the methode traditionelle to craft their award-winning drops. The cellar door – overlooking Bass Strait – offers a guided, sparkling wine tasting and multi-course dining experience for a sophisticated lunch.
Fork It Farm, Lebrina
At the end of a winding country road, you’ll find Fork It Farm, a destination that has grown from humble pig farming beginnings to meatsmiths and artisan producers of a diverse range of delicious products. Scheduled long-table lunches sell out quickly, but paddock picnic platters are always available and include Fork It’s pork products paired with local pickles, crackers and cheeses.
Launceston: Where to eat, stay and play
Stillwater Seven
Housed in a former flour mill just steps from Cataract Gorge, the exquisitely appointed rooms at Stillwater Seven bring together the best of Tasmania in terms of design, art, food and drink. Each suite has a unique character, and all enjoy views of the Tamar, a well-stocked minibar designed by Tasmanian artisan Simon Ancher, and high levels of luxury and cosiness. Just downstairs is Stillwater, one of Tasmania’s best restaurants, and a must-do for dinner.
Stillwater Restaurant
Celebrating an amazing 25 years as one of Australia’s best regional restaurants, Stillwater focused on food and wine from northern Tasmania. The old mill building, sitting on the banks of the Tamar, is full of character, with food and service that celebrate excellence and authenticity.
Bread + Butter
Flaky, buttery pastries and crisp-crusted sourdough loaves line the shelves of this bakery and café that’s a favourite with Launceston locals and visitors alike. Enjoy a coffee and croissant for breakfast and take a loaf with you for a picnic later on.
Cataract Gorge
Carved from rock 65 million years ago, Cataract Gorge is a stunning five-kilometre stretch of wilderness in the heart of Launceston. Take a stroll up the cliffside path, tour it by vintage cruise boat or take in a bird’s-eye view from the delightfully retro chairlift.
Harvest Market
If you’re here on a Saturday, drop into the Harvest Market where stallholders sell their wares rain, hail or shine. Along with produce direct from farmers, there’s fresh bread and pastries, cheese, meats and seafood, and a selection of beers, ciders, meads and liquors. Stock up for a picnic or an evening in at your accommodation.
Go further: Tasting Northern Tasmania
For anyone fantasising about a move to the country, northern Tasmania is a dangerous place. The big sky panoramas, the farm gate honesty boxes, the local celebrity potato variety. All are signs that this is an area where locals are still connected to nature.
The first people to have forged a connection to this place were the Palawa and Pakana. To join a cultural tour at Devonport’s Tiagarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre – one of the country’s oldest Indigenous-owned cultural museums – is to understand that, despite what we might have been told in school, local First Nations culture is very much alive. House-baked goods in the spirit of wallaby sausage rolls are an ace way to start or end your visit.
A great getaway up here might begin at Devonport. Like all historic Australian cities, it’s awash in Victorian-era architecture and antique shops, yet suspended in aspic it isn’t, with newcomers bringing vim and vigour. At Uprise Sourdough & Pastries, Kristjan Rowell is putting the knowledge he gleaned from Hobart’s Pigeon Whole Bakers plus a year spent baking in Denmark to excellent use. Similarly, Denni Elyse, formerly of Adelaide’s Africola, is the force driving Pam’s Bottles & Cups: a plucky bolthole trading in natural wines, cocktails and set-course dinners starring charry corn ribs, juicy Angus scotch fillet and other unfussy winners that show off Elyse’s little black book of farmers.
In terms of sustaining a weekend of good eating and drinking, you’ve come to the right place. But to properly understand the breadth, beauty and quiet resilience that defines this part of the world, look beyond the city limits. This is the home of Cape Grim Beef and Hellyers Road, Australia’s oldest operating whisky distillery. Both deserve their fame, but it’s the next generation of producers that suggests we should pay more attention to Tassie’s north.
Up in Smithton, Rosselyn and Genaro Velasquez, former veterinarians from Venezuela, are the team behind La Cantara South American cheeses. Not far away, in Port Sorell, Ghost Rock Wines is a dynamic cool climate producer turning heads with its charming pinots, loose-limbed pet-nats and a cosy cellar door restaurant with views of rolling hills and sprawling vines. Vineyard House, the estate’s on-site three-bedroom home, lets would-be vignerons test-drive vineyard living before going all-in.
Then there’s the seafood, from the innovation of inland abalone farm Three Friends Abalone, to the joys of Hursey Seafoods, a bayside restaurant serving fish and lobster wild-caught by its own fishing boats. The nearby Ship Inn Stanley, a historic pub turned luxury guesthouse, makes a fine home away from home.
TrailGraze is the region’s annual weekend-long celebration of local produce each April. And if you can’t make it for the festival, TrailGraze’s associated Tasting Trail producers map gives visitors the inside track on the places and people to include in your visit. Places such as Alchymia, say: Sarah and Matt Packwood-Hollings’ micro distillery that takes handmade to new levels. The couple built their distillery and tasting room themselves; conduct the entire whisky-making process in-house, including brewing their own wash (most distillers outsource this job to breweries); and even hand-sort their malted barley. “All the other distilleries think we’re mad,” says Matt, who listens to true crime podcasts while working the sorting table. “But we just wanted to go our own way.”
Hit the road in style
Set your navigation to some of Tasmania’s best restaurants and get ready to pull up with road-ready refinement in the Lexus RX 450h+. This luxury vehicle is ready for adventure, furnished with amenities and technology that make the journey effortless and safe.
A 14-inch touchscreen allows for intuitive control, aided by a centred head-up display sitting at the driver’s line of sight. The vehicle’s data communication module offers always-on connectivity when within a 4G network, feeding live data on road conditions and traffic, so whether you’re navigating urban streets or rugged Tasmanian highways, you can stay in touch. Smartphone integration does away with fiddly docking stations or cords, and makes staying connected simple.
Inside, it’s all about atmosphere and comfort with a five-seat cabin that’s beautifully proportioned. With expansive boot space, you can stock up on treats from vineyards, cheesemakers and orchards along your way. Three-zone climate control means the driver and passengers alike can manage their temperature preference, while multi-colour ambient illumination evokes the elegance of an intimately lit restaurant. Meanwhile, thanks to the exterior’s spindle body grille and a lower grounding of gravity, you can roll up to any location with confidence.
Whether navigating the open road, hotel grounds or a winding cellar door lane, the RX450h+ will get you there in style.
For more Tasmanian travel inspiration, visit discovertasmania.com.au
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