We were reluctant to head back in to town after our stay at Bay of Fires but the time came to refill the water tanks (2 x 95 litres) and find a dump point. I'd never paid attention to dump point signs until this trip!
J planned a morning walk from town to Cataract Gorge. Naturally I planned a visit to the providore enroute to stock up on local ham, cheese & fresh Manu bread. Throw in a few of those Lucaston apples (love the IGAs in this state) and you have yourself a picnic!
The Mill Providore is a stones throw from Kings Bridge in Launceston (& I dare you to walk out empty handed) where you can park and begin the 15 minute walk to the Gorge. If it's hot take swimmers as there's a pool. The chairlift can take you across or you can rock hop or take the path along to the suspended bridge. It's an easy walk for kids or those who aren't keen on an arduous outing. In other words, you won't burn off the cheese you've just eaten!
As it's close to town we stayed at Old Mac's Farm which offers unpowered sites (with water) along the banks of trout ponds for $10/n. J paid $20 extra to fish from the ponds. This was the scene just moments before he hooked a fish....
And dramatically tackled it in the reeds when it flipped off the hook! He wasn't going to let it get away!!
I'd read good things about the food in Launceston so we made the most of the two days we had.
Stillwater is a posh cafe downstairs from the Mill Providore. We were squeezed in but couldn't entirely relax despite our children being well behaved. The granola was INCREDIBLE but it might be a nicer place to eat with friends without children!
With so much great produce in Tassie it's hard to go a day without being inspired to cook. I made Anni's walnut, apple & spice biscuits with Lucaston Apples, Coaldale Walnuts & added some Diemen Native Pepperberry for a bit of bite!
http://missmayblossom.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/anni-walnut-apple-biscuits.html?m=1
I didn't have the Thermomix going so I melted the butter on the stove and added the rest of the ingredients to the saucepan (off the heat).
I sometimes wish we lived in a house and didn't have a weight limit. The Mill Store supplies Tassie with freshly milled flours & in large quantities!
A visit to Alps and Amici was the last thing on my list for Launceston. I went there for coffee beans, completely forgot, and came back with more Manu Bread, Bok's Bacon, the sweetest corn, sweet potato, pears & Tassie snow peas for $6/kg! And two double-shot flat whites. These were some of the best coffees we've had in Tassie. And there were so many more temptations in-store but we just couldn't squeeze it all in!
The Glenbarry Bush Maze is a short 45 minute drive from Launceston. It was a natural place for us to stop for lunch on the way to Narantapu National Park. The kids loved the maze and the giant games & puzzles set out within the grounds. You can enjoy a coffee while the kids play.
