4 Days in the North East

GoTasmania4 years ago

Explore the pristine bays and quirky character of the north east, and discover why the mountain biking world has fallen under its spell.

Credit: discovertasmania.com.au

Pub in the Paddock

The Pub in the Paddock offers country accommodation and meals at Pyengana, North East Tasmania. Licensed since 1880, the Pub in the Paddock is one of Tasmania's oldest country pubs. Literally sitting in the middle of a paddock in the verdant Pyengana Valley, the pub offers hearty country meals or morning and afternoon teas along with comfortable pub accommodation. Call in for a cool drink and meet the locals or stay a little longer and explore the local area. There are six rooms available with shared facilities. Choose from double, twin or single rooms. There is also a room with a double bed and two bunks, accommodating up to four guests.

Pub in the Paddock

250 St Columba Falls Rd, Pyengana TAS 7216, Australia

Bay of Fires Bush Retreat

outique accommodation located in a beautiful bush setting, only minutes drive from the stunning beaches of the Bay of Fires and Binalong Bay. The Bush Retreat has stylish shared bathroom and kitchen facilities and is a perfect base to explore the Bay of Fires and surrounding East Coast area. The communal kitchen is fully equipped, ready for guests to prepare meals and snacks. The Retreat also offers Tasmanian Produce Platters, a platter bar, pre-prepared meals and a delicious breakfast platter option for everyday bookings. Located just 2.8 km from the main beach at Binalong Bay, the Retreat is only a two-minute drive away. Accommodation options include 10 King Bell Tents that sleep 2, a King Room that sleeps 2, and a Bunk House that can sleep up to 6 guests.

Bay of Fires Bush Retreat

LOT 3 Reids Rd, Binalong Bay TAS 7216, 795 Reids Road, Binalong Bay, TAS 7216, Binalong Bay TAS 7216, Australia

Saint Columba Falls State Reserve

Swing into the forested hills and farmland of Pyengana Valley. At its head, set out on foot for the 15-minute walk to St Columba Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls on the island at 90 metres high.

Saint Columba Falls State Reserve

Pyengana TAS 7216, Australia

Pyengana Dairy Company

The Pyengana Dairy Company makes award-winning, traditional cheeses, in Pyengana, north-east Tasmania. Pyengana is an Aboriginal word meaning the meeting of two rivers - and the Pyengana Dairy Company sits in this lush river valley favoured by dairy farmers. Pyengana Dairy, home of Australia’s heritage farmhouse cheese, continuing 130 years of tradition producing handcrafted cheese and dairy products on a farm in the Pyengana Valley. See our cheese makers in action. Taste the cheeses and discover your favourites. Relax with a gourmet platter overlooking the picturesque dairy farm. Sourced milk from a single herd of cows. Pyengana Real Milk, rich and creamy with nothing added and all the flavour remains. Visit the Dairy Shop for fresh milkshakes and cakes or browse the range of locally-made crafts and pottery. You can also visit some of the area's waterfalls including the cascading St Columba Falls, plunging nearly 90 metres/295 feet from the Mount Victoria foothills to the South George River valley. Pyengana is a half hour drive from the north-east coastal town of St Helens (27 kilometres) and an hour from Scottsdale (73 kilometres).

Pyengana Dairy Company

St Columba Falls Rd, Pyengana TAS 7216, Australia

The Keep

Head for the hills for the night and find ultimate isolation at The Keep, a glamorous fortress tower atop the Blue Tier, or glamp in a bell tent at Bay of Fires Bush Retreat. The Keep is a bespoke double-storey building perched on a 650m rocky outcrop with 360 degree views of the Blue Tier and the entire North Eastern coastline. Embrace quintessential Tasmanian surroundings in complete solitude. Built for a romantic escape outside the contemporary abode there is a wonderful stone outdoor bath fit for two, complete with Tasmanian aromatic bath bombs. Three private and enchanting walks surround you on the property, and a handcrafted granite fireplace lets you sit and stare into the flames as humanity has done for millennia. A place to truly reconnect with each other and nature with all the luxurious creature comforts you could need.

The Keep

535 New England Rd, Goulds Country TAS 7216, Australia

Vertigo MTB Derby, Bike Hire, Shuttles

Feel the flow on Derby's famed mountain bike trails. Vertigo MTB rents bikes and operates shuttles to trailheads. There are easy trails that leave from the heart of town. VertigoMTB is based in Derby, a small town in north-east Tasmania that is rapidly becoming a mountain biking mecca. The ever expanding Blue Derby trail network starts right in the centre of town Derby and offers 80km of trail to explore. Make the most of your trip by grabbing an uplift shuttle to some of the hero trails like Atlas and the Blue Tier.

Vertigo MTB Derby, Bike Hire, Shuttles

66 Main St, Derby TAS 7264, Australia

Priory Ridge Wines

Priory Ridge is a boutique family vineyard and Cellar door operation in the iconic holiday destination, St. Helens/Bay of Fires, East Coast, Tasmania; only 10 minutes inland in the rural valley of Priory, route C843. The ideal micro climate and Devonian granite soil, produces full bodied Pinot Noir and aromatic whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot gris, Chardonnay and Traminer. “Our Motto: Our grapes/ Our wine ” The vines are nurtured/maintained by hand and grapes are picked by our local work force. French wine making techniques allow fermentation of grape juices by its natural yeasts. The Pinot Noir can mature in French oak barrels for over 18 months undertaking natural malolactic conversion. In true French style, the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are fermented and matured in French oak.

Priory Ridge Wines

280 Ansons Bay Rd, St Helens TAS 7216, Australia

Furneaux Restaurant & Comptoir

French | Modern Australian cuisines - offering exquisite dining experience. Featuring seasonal produce and local Tasmanian wines on the menu.

Furneaux Restaurant & Comptoir

2 Tasman Hwy, St Helens TAS 7216, Australia

Bay of Fires Eco Tours

Don't just visit the Bay of Fires, experience it with Bay of Fires Eco Tours. Take a boat from Binalong Bay and enjoy the Bay of Fires at its finest, the pristine white sandy beaches, lichen covered boulders, hidden bays and striking headlands of this breathtakingly beautiful coastline. The Bay of Fires stretches for nearly 30 kms and there is no better way to soak up this amazing scenery than from the water. With tours covering all or part of the Bay of Fires, our fully guided experience offers magnificent scenery and the chance to encounter an abundance of sea life. Due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19, this season we plan to offer our Gardens Explorer Tour, two hours is duration and covering the southern half of the coastline. It is our most popular tour year round and offers passengers the best chance of conducting a tour as it is less weather dependent and requires fewer passengers to make the tour viable. Tours will resume in later September, scheduled 4 days a week, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, with additional tours to be added on a demand basis. Winner of the 2016 New Great Eastern Driver of the Year in Tasmania's East Coast Tourism Awards, Bay of Fires Eco Tours is a must do activity when visiting the Great Eastern Drive.

Bay of Fires Eco Tours

Binalong Bay TAS 7216, Australia

St Helens Mountain Bike Trails

The St Helens Mountain Bike Trails are some of the most scenic trails in the world- where else in the world can you ride Mountains to the Sea, ending your ride in one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, the Bay of Fires. The St Helens Mountain Bike Trails are located in two unique locations; You will find a series of stacked loops just south of the St Helens Township as well as an epic 42km wilderness trail that starts sat the top of the Blue Tier and winds and wends all the way to Swimcart beach found in the internationally acclaimed Bay of Fires. That makes plenty of quality built trail for you and your family to enjoy! Whether you like to shred some serious downhill, enjoy some cross country flow or just want a fun day on the trails with the family, the St Helens Mountain Bike Trails have an experience for everyone. Not only that, but St Helens is the largest town on Tasmania’s east coast and as such offers plenty for you to see and do while you are taking a break from the trails.

St Helens Mountain Bike Trails

St Helens TAS 7216, Australia

Bicheno Penguin Tours

Stay the night at Bicheno for the chance to view little penguins marching ashore with Bicheno Penguin Tours.

Bicheno Penguin Tours

70 Burgess St, Bicheno TAS 7215, Australia

Purple Possum Wholefoods & Cafe

St Marys' quirky spirit is tangible over lunch at Purple Possum Wholefoods and Cafe, which has a gallery of local art and a bric-a-brac shed. But, really, you're here for the vegetarian burger and rhubarb cake.

Purple Possum Wholefoods & Cafe

5 Story St, St Marys TAS 7215, Australia

Lobster Shack Tasmania

Lobster is the hero here! To be more precise fresh Tasmanian Southern Rock Lobster but that's not all that's on offer at one of Tassie's newest and most perfectly located seafood hot spots! Owners Sara and Marcus have seafood in their blood. Marcus launches his boat metres from their business that sits perched above the orange lichen-covered rocks of Bicheno's fishing boat harbour bringing home fresh seafood to be processed in their export facility while Sara runs "The Lobster Shack " . The vibe is casual and they keep the food simple at "The Shack"; lemon garlic butter let's the sweet meat of the lobster shine through, crispy skinned char grilled salmon tops a dressed leafy salad, fresh oysters with lemon and of course really good fish and chips with the best house-made tartare. Knockout views over the pristine waters of the boat harbour from the wrap around deck and there's also a fisherman’s lookout on the floor above with photos from the early days of the commercial fishing industry around Tasmania You can purchase a range of fresh seafood products from the display cabinet including cooked whole lobster and Lobster rolls and if you want a live lobster there's plenty in the tanks out the back !

Lobster Shack Tasmania

40 Esplanade, Bicheno TAS 7215, Australia

Bicheno Blowhole

Return along Elephant Pass Road to the shores and make for Bicheno. If the tide is low, it's often possible to walk across the exposed sand spit to Diamond Island at Bicheno's northern end, or if there's a swell you'll likely find the Bicheno Blowhole doing its thing. Photo: Chris Bray

Bicheno Blowhole

Douglas St, Bicheno TAS 7215, Australia

Bicheno's Glass Bottom Boat

Indulge in a delicious pastry with your morning coffee at Little Bay Patisserie or a full breakfast at Pasini's before setting sail with Bicheno's Glass Bottom Boat. The 40-minute trip on the state's only glass-bottomed boat takes advantage of Bicheno's translucent waters and plenty of marine life.