SEARCH GARDNERS BAY

Peppermint Bay is a waterfront restaurant, bar, providore and venue at Woodbridge, southern Tasmania. The multi-award winning Peppermint Bay complex includes The Dining Room a la carte restaurant. Here, sweeping cathedral ceilings and a wall of windows frame views of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. The seasonal menu of Huon Valley produce includes heirloom varieties of fruit and vegetables, organic beef, seafood and farm cheeses. Meats and fish from the smoke house, fresh herbs from the trellised garden and plump fish from the fish race are also featured. Enjoy a drink in the Local Bar or Terrace, or visit the Providore to choose from house made and locally-produced preserves, meats and cheeses. You can arrive at Peppermint Bay in style - aboard the luxury, high-speed catamaran, Peppermint Bay II. The fully guided cruise takes you from the Hobart waterfront along 40 kilometres of coastline to your water-side destination. Accolades: Winner of the 2005 Tasmanian Tourism Award, Tourism Restaurants and Catering Services; Winner of the 2004 Tasmanian Tourism Awards, New developments Woodbridge overlooks the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, 40 minutes' drive south of Hobart (43 kilometres/27 miles). Accolades: Winner of the 2005 Tasmanian Tourism Award, Tourism Restaurants and Catering Services; Winner of the 2004 Tasmanian Tourism Awards, New developments

True to name, this hillside vineyard looks across the Huon River to the Hartz mountains. In the chapel-like tasting room you can sample not only owners Robert and Anthea Pattersons wines but those from 10 other Tasmanian vineyards. Bearing the Hartzview label are wines made from riesling, chardonnay (wooded and unwooded), sauvignon blanc, semillon, pinot gris, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon grapes, including a sparkling pinot noir made methode champenoise. There also are fruit ports, liqueurs and mead. Tastings, door sales and cheese platters are available. The 3 hectare vineyard was established in 1988 on the site of an old gooseberry farm. If you cant get enough of the panoramic view, accommodation is available in a colonial-style homestead.

Stanley's Studio and Gallery - Fine Art and Craft are located in Cygnet, Southern Tasmania. Stanley's Studio and Gallery resides in one of the first general stores in Cygnet, circa. 1905. A vast open space with high ceilings gives room for large canvases and drawings, artworks and glass jewellery. Meet Richard Stanley, resident artist and talk about his work. Listen to ambient music as you peruse his paintings and limited edition prints. The Gallery is located in a beautiful rural setting with mountain and river views. Richard offers a unique experience to art and craft lovers. All work is Tasmanian produced with the majority being made on the premises by Richard himself. Works include original oil and pastel paintings, limited edition framed and unframed prints, cards and bookmarks. Artworks are based on landscapes in Tasmania with emphasis on the South. Richard also produces dichroic glass jewellery in pendant, hanging earring, stud earring and brooch form which sells in his gallery. Richard is also a stained glass artist having done many commissions throughout Australia. You can see his work in the front Entry Doors of his Gallery. Cygnet is a 49 minute drive (55 kilometres /34 miles ) South of Hobart.

Elsewhere Vineyard is situated just 45 minutes from Hobart and only six kilometres west of Cygnet. The vineyard produces six different wine styles: A traditional method Sparkling made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, a still Pinot Noir, still Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Sylvaner. These are all dry grown on the 12.5 ha vineyard and made by Terry Doyle who is a qualified winemaker. The vineyard is in a beautiful setting just off the banks of the Huon River which is over two kilometres wide in front of the vineyard. The snow capped Hartz mountains form the western backdrop to this lovely part of Tasmania. A tour of the vineyard can be arranged.

The Woodbridge Hill Handweaving Studio is a textile studio in southern Tasmania. With spectacular views of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel as a backdrop, this small intense textile space lets you experience a weaver's work at the loom. You may enjoy the colourful display of hand woven, hand dyed and knitted goods made from natural fibres such as alpaca, wool, cotton, silk, mohair and even dog hair. There are luxurious scarves,shawls, throws, vests, shoulder bags, beanies, berets, cushions, rugs and tapestries. The studio is open most mornings from 0930 to 1300 or by appointment. It is closed on Saturdays. The Handweaving Studio is just up from the famous Peppermint Bay Restaurant- follow the Highway sign. If you follow the road to the top you will find "Woodbridge Hill Hideaway" and a bit further you will come to the Harzview Wine Centre. Woodbridge a coastal town is 40 minutes south of Hobart (43 kilometres/26 miles).

The Cygnet Public Golf Course is a nine-hole country course in the Huon Valley. The course overlooks Port Cygnet Bay and the township of Cygnet, and is a 50-minute drive south of Hobart (66 kilometres/41 miles). The Cygnet Public Golf Course offers nine diverse holes and a layout that makes the most of the course's natural landscape. No two holes here are the same and the natural hazards, including dams and creeks, make for an interesting round of golf. Green fees give you access to the course for the day and club and buggy hire are available - bookings for hire equipment are recommended. Change rooms and refreshments are also available. Holes: nine, Par: 33, Length: 1,760 metres

Located in Cygnet, Tasmania is Lovett Gallery operated by the Huon Exhibitions Group. HAEG is primarily a group of local artists that initially got together to support each other and organise exhibitions. They now run their own gallery "Lovett Gallery" to display and market the work of their members. The Gallery is located at the rear of the Town Hall, Mary St, Cygnet and open every weekend, Fridays during daylight savings and most public holidays from 1000 to 1600 HAEG now have 120 members and coordinate two major biennial exhibitions - 'Watermark' and 'Southern Exposure' as well as mini exhibitions for member artists. Works at Lovett Gallery are constantly changing and include paintings in all genres, photography, sculpture, ceramics and jewellery. Some members also produce greeting cards. Works can be viewed anytime on the website. Many tourists and local visitors on the Huon Trail also use the visit to enjoy the cafe culture now blossoming in and around Cygnet. Cygnet is 50 minutes' drive (55 km / 34 mile) south of Hobart.

Tas-Saff, at Glaziers Bay, southern Tasmania, is Australia's first commercial saffron grower. Glaziers Bay is located in the Huon Valley, 50 minutes drive south of Hobart (70 kilometres). Tas Saff is a family-owned, multi-award winning Tasmanian business. Established in 1991 on three acres of land overlooking the sea at Glaziers Bay, Tas Saff is now a thriving commercial saffron producer and has developed a network of 40 growers throughout Australia. You can visit Tas Saff by appointment to discover the process of growing fine quality Tasmanian saffron. Saffron is the name given to the dried, red stigmas of the flower of the Crocus Sativus plant. It is treasured for adding flavour, colour, and aroma to food, and also has medicinal qualities. Growing and harvesting saffron is a labour-intensive undertaking. Each crocus plant produces just one flower, and each flower grows three stigmas. The plant flowers over a 35-day period in autumn and the delicate process of picking, stripping, weighing and packing the filaments is all done by hand. Around 220,000 flowers are needed to produce each kilogram of Australian saffron.

The Hartzview Vineyard Heritage listed Pickers Hut Village is at Gardners Bay, in Tasmania’s South.

Take a stroll into history as you enjoy a self-guided discovery walk of the seven different restored small fruit pickers huts that families lived in during the picking season. Les and Lillian Polley established the fruit farm in the 1920’s. During World War two, some of these huts were home to Italian prisoners of war, who replaced agricultural workers serving overseas.

You can also visit the cellar door which is open every day and taste from the estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Chardonnays and the large range of preservative free fruit Ports, Liqueurs (Blackcurrant, Blackberry, Cherry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Tasmanian Cassis) and Mead.

The Vineyard Cafe is also open every day from 1000 to 1700 and serves all day lunches specialising in vineyard and cheese platters. Treat yourself to a delicious Hartzview dessert made especially with one of their fruit Ports or Liqueurs.

At the end of the day, unwind and stay a while to experience true luxury in Hartzview Vineyard’s self-contained spa homestead, relaxing in front of the log fire with a platter and glass of Hartzview Pinot Noir.

Gardner’s bay is a 45 minute drive (46 kilometres / 28 miles) South of Hobart.