Freycinet Food and Wine Tour (aka The Long Lunch) | Coles Bay, Tasmania

From the Origins of Life to bread falling buttered side down, the mysteries of life are many and varied. And none more so than how the hell Karen has managed to survive her whole life without a frickin’ drivers licence!!

I know, I know…the answer stares me in the face every single day of my life, and while it’s generally not a problem, when it comes to imbibing copious amounts of alcohol it sucks ballz mussif!!

Buggered if I was going to spend my Christmas holidays sober, so it was with much Yuletide joy that we stumbled across the Long Lunch Tour Company.

They had two options, one in the greater Hobart area and another servicing the East Coast wine region of Tasmania. The description of the Freycinet Food and Wine Tour sounded right up our alley, visiting three vineyards, a marine farm and a berry farm!!

Surprisingly, there was only one other couple joining us and our illustrious tour leader Brad as we worked our way from venue to venue in the most leisurely of fashions. The risk with these types of tours is that you never know whose company you’re going to be stuck with for the rest of the day. I knew we were on a winner though when the first question from Ian’s mouth was, “Is that a Nikon camera you’ve got there?”. Consider the ice broken! Both Ian and Lynn were great company, sharing as deep a passion for fine food and wine as ourselves. Discovering that they were yet to visit Hobart, it was nice to be able to impart some of our local knowledge to them on their departure, enriching their holiday in some small way.

You want transport?

You want transport?

First up was the bright blue timbers of the Freycinet Marine Farm.

Freycinet Marine Farm

Freycinet Marine Farm

Freycinet Marine Farm

Freycinet Marine Farm

De-bearding mussels!

De-bearding mussels!

Oysters, mussels, scallops and a drop of white for breakfast? Don’t mind if I do!

Baked Scallops

Grilled Scallops

Super fresh mussels

Super fresh mussels

Oysters!

Oysters!

Our timing was impeccable, as the Marine Farm swiftly started filling up with tourists of all sorts of nationalities. It’s clearly a very popular destination, and with good reason!

Only half an hour later and we found ourselves at our first winery for the day, Gala Estate; otherwise known as a photographer’s paradise!

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

Flaking painted weatherboard, rusting tools longing for purpose and a chirpy French lass to pour the beverages. I loved this place.

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

Vintage sofa, complete with arse-indent

Vintage sofa, complete with arse-indent

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

Gala Estate

I was so busy taking photos I hadn’t noticed the bus was full and everyone was waiting for me before we could move on to our next destination, Spring Vale winery!

Spring Vale Winery

Spring Vale Winery

Spring Vale Winery

Spring Vale Winery

Wine, wine and more wine!

Wine, wine and more wine!

Another gorgeous venue. We snacked on some Tasmanian cheeses, matched to the wines of course, and were very pleased to discover that Spring Vale do a sensational sticky. Cha ching!

Only a short drive down the highway was our final winery for the day, and the location for our delicious ploughman’s platter style lunch…Milton Vineyard.

Milton Vineyward

Milton Vineyard

More wine!

More wine!

A great spread!

A great spread!

Who cut the cheese?

Who cut the cheese?

Local arts and crafts on display

Local arts and crafts on display, featuring…Swamp Donkey!!

Such a peaceful, rural setting...

Such a peaceful, rural setting…

After all those sliced meats and cheeses, it was time to finish on a sweet note. Next up was the famous Kate’s Berry Farm on the outskirts of Swansea.

Kate's Berry Farm

Kate’s Berry Farm

Tastings!!

Tastings!!

We couldn’t help ourselves, purchasing chocolate covered raspberries, cherries, orange and popcorn (my favourite!). Too tasty to say no.

The gang, and our intrepid leader Brad

The gang, and our intrepid leader Brad

How good is that view across to The Hazards?

How good is that view across to The Hazards?

Clutching our taut pickled bellies, we slowly hauled ourselves back into the minivan, slumped back into our chairs and dozed the sleep of the defeated.

It was a memorable day out, combining the very best of the East Coast into one thoroughly enjoyable tour. Brad was a wealth of knowledge, surprising us with quite a few little gems of local wisdom, including the odd piece of Coles Bay real estate advice!

The East Coast of Tasmania is an exciting place to either live or visit at the moment. Fantastic weather, perfect terroir for cool climate wines, and some of Tasmania’s freshest produce all make for an exciting future that we’ll be watching with much interest.

For more information about the Long Lunch Tour Company, drop by their website here – Long Lunch Tour Company
The Freycinet Marine Farm can be found here – Freycinet Marine Farm
Gala Estate can be found here – Gala Estate
Spring Vale Wines can be found here – Spring Vale Wines
Milton Vineyard can be found here – Milton VineyardKate’s Berry Farm are here – Kate’s Berry Farm

Freycinet Marine Farm Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Kate's Berry Farm Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato