Few places in Australia, or the world for that matter, offer more opportunities to kick back, relax, unwind and rejuvenate than Tasmania. In this beautiful, pristine state, you will find no hustle and very little bustle. There’s a sense that time has somehow stopped and you have a chance to slow down and enjoy yourself.
Thankfully, there’s still time to chat with the neighbour over the garden gate, wave hello to passers by, throw a line in a meandering stream, take a leisurely walk along a sheltered beach and most importantly, stop and smell the roses – or the lavender for that matter.
There’s plenty of time to enjoy the simple things, like reading the newspaper over a coffee in the morning sun. It’s easy to get around – there’s no such thing as traffic jams here. Life in the island’s historic towns and villages moves at a decidedly slower pace than mainland cities – which is all part of the attraction. Then there’s the crisp, pollution-free air and the state’s pristine wilderness, which has a remarkably soothing effect on the soul.
Spoilt for choice
How you choose to recharge the batteries in Tasmania is up to you, but rest assured, there are plenty of choices. You could start by taking a soothing stroll around the heady grounds of Bridestowe Estate Lavender Farm – one of the world’s largest single commercial lavender plantations. Covering 48.5 hectares, the farm is a spectacular sight when flowering during December and January, and has put the island on the international map.
Then there’s the opportunity to indulge in some serious pampering with a massage and facial at the Waldheim Alpine Spa, while taking in the incredible views of the surrounding wilderness of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Cradle Mountain is surrounded by beautiful native bush, rainforest, alpine heathlands and buttongrass and a walk in these parts is a sure-fire way to make the stress of everyday life a distant memory.
Another place to be pampered is at the Mud Club, near Pepper’s Hotel in the heart of Launceston’s Old Seaport Dock, which offers day spa treatments, a fitness studio and stretch classes. Submit your weary body for a variety of treatments, such as a Vichy shower, a rich mineral Mapi body mud treatment, or a Kodo full body massage.
With its spectacular waterfront position at the foot of the Hazards, Freycinet Lodge on the east coast is another very dependable stress buster. Here you can feel at one with the surrounding nature without roughing it.
The lodge’s top-of-the-range Wineglass Cabins offer double spas to soothe tired muscles after an enjoyable day’s walking in the national park.
One of Tasmania’s newest retreats, @ VDL, in Stanley, is another serene getaway. Housed in the gorgeous 1843 Van Dieman’s Land Company Store, which was designed by the colony’s first architect John Lee Archer, the newly renovated guesthouse sits on the waterfront and lies at the base of The Nut – Stanley’s famous rocky outcrop that once formed part of a now extinct volcano.
Spend the day birdwatching in the State Reserve at The Nut – beautiful shearwaters, kestrels and falcons are all visitors – and make sure you don’t miss the little penguins returning from a day at sea and making their way back to their burrows as night falls.
But if your idea of relaxing is casting a line in a beautiful clear stream, this is one of the best places on the planet to do just that. Tasmania is the wild trout capital of Australia, renowned for its myriad of pure streams, rivers, lakes and tarns, low angling pressures and abundant wild trout. Hire a guide or find your own spot on a secluded riverbank and try your luck while you let the worries of the world float past you.
