Launceston, TAS

One of the reasons we’ve been traveling such short distances on the road in Tasmania is the descriptions we read about spectacular scenery along what is described as the Eastern Drive.

The scenery is indeed breathtaking in many places. But you only see it if you go off the road. Yes, we’ve done that … and enjoyed every bit of it. But driving through bushland in between those sights has meant that we’ve not dallied as much on the road. Especially today.

Yes, we could have stayed in St Helens as we had originally planned. Instead, once we left the Bay of Fires earlier than anticipated, we decided to continue on to our next stop to give ourselves a two-night stay in one place instead of two one night stays on the road. Even better, the new plan would give us more sightseeing time in the Launceston area … with the possibility of adding a few places that we had to drop from our original itinerary.

Thus we took the Tasman Highway to the Midland Highway to drive through the heartland of Tasmania. Arriving around 4:30p, we got ourselves settled into our room at the hotel at Country Club Tasmania in Prospect Vale … a rural/residential locality of Launceston … conveniently located for our sightseeing needs … and not in need of a “refresh” like some of the hotels we’ve stayed in recently.

Launceston is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy … one of 50 around the world. It has been recognized as such for “… Northern Tasmania’s unique paddock-to-plate culture” and the city’s “… role as the region’s gourmet hub.”

That, of course, set the bar high for tonight’s dinner at the Terrace Kitchen, the restaurant at the Country Club.

We were not disappointed. It was all delicious — from the Tasmanian Oysters Kilpatrick … wrapped in crispy pancetta and served with a Worcestershire dressing; to the prawn & ginger dumplings … with kimchie kewpie mayo; to Wagyu beef ravioli fritti … with red capsicum salsa, chili oil, and parmesan shavings; to Tasmanian trout … served on a bed of pearl barley and summer pea risotto with a drizzle of burnt butter sauce. No room for dessert, I’m afraid!

Now to get a goodnight’s rest.Read more