Tasmanian Food and Wine

Now whether you source fresh food from the state's plethora of farm gates or from restaurants that covet the freshness of their produce, good food is as much a part of Tasmania as the iconic Tasmanian devil.

In the North West of Tasmania one of the favourite destinations is the Cradle Mountain Lodge along with other accommodation options. In this area the beautiful walks and experiences will definitely increase te appetite!

Japanese-born chef Tetsuya Wakuda is one of Australia's most lauded chefs and though his eponymous restaurant is based in Sydney he is a champion of Tasmanian food. Of the state's full-flavoured produce Wakuda offers: 'Tassie is a special environment. There is clean air and water. Of course the produce is good. It's natural logic.'

But taste isn't the only consideration for this chef. 'Flavour of course is important, but food safety is a big issue now. People talk about organic, but what's organic if the air is polluted? Tassie is beyond organic. It's a wonderful place.'

This is good news for not only trenchermen but also lovers of wine. The Tasmanian climate provides grapes with a long growing season resulting in wines of distinctive elegance and finesse.

The Tamar Valley produces around 75 per cent of Tasmania's wines and a wine route that weaves through the valley follows the mighty Tamar River. Many vineyards have sweeping views of both the valley and the river.

The Ninth Island vineyard is quite a package and has views, friendly staff and a range of vinos including pinots and Rieslings (if guests thought they'd dragged themselves from the food and an expanding waistline they'd be wrong - there is a restaurant here that is run by one of the best chefs in Tasmania). Ninth Island is part of the large Pipers Brook group yet there are plenty of vineyards and cellar doors as boutique as the island's farm gates.

Jinglers Creek, Moores Hill Estate, Brook Eden, and Iron Pot Bay just are just some. Sixteen of the 24 vineyards in the official Tamar Valley wine route are smaller family run vineyards. Visitors should make time to meet the winemakers and chat about their ripping cool climate wines and they'll doubtless not only learn about the wines but also meet some of the region's great characters.

  If you want to encorporate some wonderful dining and a very interesting cruise experience in the Strahan region, you can't go past the Captain's Premier Upper Deck on the Gordon River Cruise which takes in Macquarie Harbour and the beautiful Gordon River.