The village of Pyengana is a cheese-lovers’ haven and near to some of Tasmania’s most spectacular waterfalls. Nestled in a lush and fertile valley, the quiet rural village of Pyengana features some of Tasmania’s most beautiful dairy country, wrapped in a forested landscape dominated by the Blue Tier section of the North East Highlands.

After settlement, the area was used for tin mining but these days cows fill the lush green paddocks around town, producing some of Tassie’s best milk and dairy products. In fact, many visitors come here simply for the award-winning cheeses made at the local Pyengana Dairy that can be sampled at a cheese tasting or ploughman’s lunch at the Holy Cow Café.
The village is also home to the Pub in the Paddock, a quirky heritage-listed hotel in a unique pastoral setting – the middle of a paddock. Licensed since 1880, the Pub in the Paddock is one of Tasmania’s oldest country pubs.

The landscape around Pyengana is well worth exploring, including a drive through the picturesque South George River valley to St Columba Falls State Reserve. A short walk here passes through a beautiful patch of cool temperate rainforest dominated by giant man-ferns and myrtle, sassafras and beech trees to a spectacular 90 metre waterfall.

The sub-alpine environment of the Blue Tier also offers a variety of scenic nature walks, including the Halls Falls walking track – a 90-minute return stroll through dense centuries-old tree ferns and towering eucalypt forest to a weir built by timber workers in the late 19th century and a small but charming cascading waterfall.

Once you’ve explored Pyengana, continue along the Tasman Highway for another 20 minutes or so and you’ll stumble across the tiny village of Weldborough, also known for its exceptional pub. From here it a easy drive inland to explore the remnants of the Mount Paris Dam.