Your Guide to Food & Drink in Tasmania: What to Eat, Where to Drink

What food is Tasmania famous for?

Tasmania's reputation as a food destination starts with its seafood. The cold water surrounding the island provides an ideal habitat for shellfish as well as fin fish, and the quality of what's served to you is hard to match anywhere else in Australia.

Rock lobster (crayfish)

Tasmanian rock lobster (also called crayfish) is the standout. Large, sweet and meatier than most, they're best eaten simply, grilled or steamed, ideally straight off a boat. The season runs roughly from November through April, making summer the prime time to track one down.

Oysters and other seafood

Pacific oysters are farmed throughout the state, particularly along the East Coast and on Bruny Island. The clean, cold bays produce oysters with a briny, clean finish that have earned a strong following among chefs and travellers. The Get Shucked oyster farm on Bruny Island is one of the most visited food experiences in the state.

Other seafood worth trying: abalone, scallops and Tasmanian Atlantic salmon (farmed by producers like Huon Aquaculture in the Huon Valley).

Beyond seafood

Tasmania is also known for:

• The scallop pie: a bakery staple filled with local scallops in a mild curry sauce. You'll find versions across the state, but bakeries in Ross and at Hobart's Salamanca Market are reliable starting points.
• Artisan cheese: especially from Bruny Island Cheese Co and King Island Dairy. Bruny produces raw milk cheeses aged on site; King Island is known for cream and brie.
• Cape Grim beef: raised on the remote north-west tip of Tasmania, where the air is considered among the purest on earth. The pasture-fed cattle produce beef with a clean, distinct flavour.
• Flinders Island lamb: grass-fed on the island's saltgrass pastures in Bass Strait, leaner than most, with a subtle flavour.
• Seasonal fruit: cherries, berries, apples and apricots thrive in the Huon Valley and Derwent Valley. Tasmania earned the nickname "Apple Isle" for a reason, and the cider industry that's grown around the orchards is now a destination in itself.

Unique Tasmanian ingredients you won't find elsewhere

A handful of ingredients set Tasmanian produce apart from the mainland, and they're worth seeking out if you're around.

Leatherwood honey

Did you know that leatherwood honey comes from the leatherwood tree, which grows only in Tasmania's old-growth rainforests on the West Coast and in the Tarkine wilderness? The honey has a distinct, floral, slightly spicy character that's hard to describe until you taste it. It's sold at most Tasmanian markets and is a good thing to bring home.

Tasmanian pepperberry

Tasmanian pepperberry (Tasmannia lanceolata) is a native spice that is hot but finishes with floral and slightly eucalyptus flavours. Local cooks use it as a flavouring, and you'll find it in local gins and pepperberry tonics at Salamanca Market.

Truffles

Truffles might surprise visitors, but the Deloraine region in northern Tasmania has developed a thriving black truffle industry. Perigord truffles are harvested through winter (June to August), and several producers offer farm experiences during the season.

Wasabi

Wasabi is grown commercially in Tasmania's clean waterways, where the cool running water mimics the conditions found in Japan. Some of Tasmania's more creative chefs use it as a local alternative to imported products.

Where to eat in Tasmania: key food destinations

Hobart

Hobart is the centre of the island state's food culture, with a growing number of top-quality eateries, vineyards and suppliers emerging over the last ten years.

The harbour district, especially the area around Salamanca Place and the wharf area of Sullivans Cove, is the most convenient starting point. Salamanca Market, held each Saturday, ranks among Australia's best markets, where stallholders offer leatherwood honey, pepperberry products, fresh berries, artisan bread and wood-fired pastries, among other produce.

For dining in, Hobart has a thriving restaurant scene built on the farm-to-table ethos, with a number of highly regarded restaurants that source their produce from local Tasmanian growers.

Launceston

In 2021, Launceston was awarded UNESCO City of Gastronomy status, a formal recognition of what food lovers had known for years. The city has a sophisticated dining scene centred on local produce, a strong restaurant culture, and the Harvest Market (Saturday mornings near Cimitiere Street).

The Tamar Valley, which begins just north of Launceston, is Tasmania's most established wine region. The valley is home to dozens of cellar doors growing Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay, many with on-site restaurants or produce platters.

Bruny Island

Bruny Island is a concentrated food experience. It's a 15-minute ferry from Kettering (south of Hobart) and a half-day or full-day trip from the city, typically visiting:

• Get Shucked Oyster Farm: fresh oysters straight from the water
• Bruny Island Cheese Co: raw milk artisan cheeses, including a celebrated brie and a hard cheese aged on site
• Bruny Island Beer Co: small-batch craft beers, often paired with cheese tastings
• Bruny Island Chocolate Co: small-batch chocolate and fudge using quality ingredients

Most visitors combine these in a self-guided loop around the island, or book a guided tasting tour from Hobart that connects all the key stops.

The Huon Valley

The Huon Valley, south of Hobart, is Tasmania's orchard heartland. Apple and cherry orchards line the valley floor, and the farm gate culture here is genuine: roadside honesty boxes sell fresh fruit in season, and small producers offer direct tastings.

Willie Smith's Apple Shed in Grove is the valley's best-known cider destination, with a cellar door, restaurant and a strong range of ciders made from heritage apple varieties.

East Coast

The East Coast between Orford and St Helens offers a more relaxed food experience, with fresh seafood as the main draw. Freycinet Marine Farm near Coles Bay is one of the best spots to eat oysters and mussels straight from the growing pens. The Bicheno Lobster Shack is a well-established stop for rock lobster.

The East Coast also has a growing wine trail, with producers like Freycinet Vineyard and Craigie Knowe offering cellar door experiences in scenic coastal settings.

North West Tasmania

The north west is less visited but productive. Ashgrove Cheese near Deloraine produces farmhouse cheeses on a working dairy farm open to visitors. Anvers Chocolate in Latrobe is a Belgian-style chocolatier worth stopping for. The truffle farms near Deloraine are most active in winter.

What to drink in Tasmania

All around the island, you'll have the chance to try cool-climate Pinot Noir and sparkling wines, award-winning single malt whisky, unique gin and traditional cider. These drinks stand out for their distinctive flavours, thanks to Tasmanian botanicals, clean water and even sheep's whey.

Cool-climate wines

Tasmania produces some of Australia's most distinctive cool-climate wines, with Pinot Noir and sparkling wine the strongest suits. The cool summers and maritime climate slow ripening and build complexity, particularly in the Tamar Valley, Coal River Valley (near Hobart), East Coast (around Freycinet and Bicheno) and Huon Valley.

There are more than 90 cellar doors operating across the state, a remarkable number for a population of around 570,000. The Coal River Valley, around Richmond, is the closest wine region to Hobart and an easy half-day trip.

Look for: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Gris, the most consistent performers.

Whisky

Bill Lark had to lobby the government just to make whisky legal. When he started Lark Distillery in 1992, a 150-year-old law still prohibited small-scale distilling in Tasmania. He helped get it overturned, and what followed was one of the more unlikely success stories in Australian food and drink.

A bit more than 30 years later, whisky aficionados worldwide take Tasmania seriously. If you needed any confirmation, it came in 2018 when Sullivans Cove took home World's Best Single Cask Single Malt, which raised eyebrows worldwide and confirmed what Tasmanians have always known. The distillery is in Cambridge (approx. 20 minutes east of Hobart) and runs guided tastings that are worth booking in advance.

If you're new to Tasmanian whisky and want a general idea of what's on offer before buying a whole bottle, start at Lark's whisky bar on the Hobart waterfront. It stocks Tasmania's single malts side by side, making it easier to taste the differences, and it's a nice place to spend an hour.

Beyond Lark and Sullivans Cove:

• Hellyers Road in the north west is worth knowing, one of the larger producers with a more accessible price point.
• Old Kempton Distillery in the Derwent Valley is smaller and quieter, the kind of place you're glad you drove out to.
• Redlands Estate is part of a newer wave of producers using estate-grown grain, which adds another layer of traceability to an already provenance-obsessed industry.

Craft beer

Cascade Brewery in Hobart, founded in 1824, is Australia's oldest operating brewery. Cascade Pale Ale is the flagship, and the historic sandstone building at the base of kunanyi / Mount Wellington runs regular tours. Across the island, Boag's Brewery in Launceston is the other major producer.

Beyond the two big names, Tasmania has a solid craft beer scene. Worth trying:

• Van Diemen Brewing
• Two Metre Tall: a farmhouse brewery in the Derwent Valley using estate-grown grain and hops
• Moo Brew: based at MONA

Cider

Given the apple heritage, it's no surprise cider has taken hold. Willie Smith's in the Huon Valley is the most prominent producer, making both conventional and organic ciders from heritage varieties. Spreyton Cider in the north west is another well-regarded producer. Cider flights or tastings at cellar doors are increasingly available.

Gin

Tasmania has seen a boom in small gin distilleries over the past decade, many using local botanicals as a point of difference. Poltergeist Gin from Shene Estate near Pontville uses locally grown botanicals including Tasmanian pepperberry and native plants. Four Pillars (mainland) has collaborated with Tasmanian producers, and several smaller distilleries have built a following around single-origin botanical gins.

Non-alcoholic options

If alcohol isn't your thing, there are other options. Locally roasted coffee is common in Hobart and Launceston, with a healthy rivalry between the two cities. Pepperberry and lavender-flavoured soft drinks can be found at Salamanca Market.

Food experiences worth booking

• Pennicott Wilderness Journeys: seafood-focused ocean cruises where passengers can pull cray pots, harvest sea urchin and eat shellfish fresh on the water. It's one of the most direct ocean-to-plate experiences available anywhere in Australia.
• The Agrarian Kitchen: in New Norfolk, about 40 minutes north of Hobart, runs a cooking school and a paddock-to-plate restaurant on a historic farm. It consistently ranks among Australia's best regional restaurants.
• Salamanca Market: every Saturday in Hobart, free to visit, reliably excellent and a strong starting point for understanding what's in season across the state.

Practical notes for visitors

Seasonal availability

Some of the best produce is seasonal, so timing plays an important role.

Getting around

Most farm gates, wineries and cellar doors are only accessible by road. There are organised tours for Bruny Island, wineries and whisky, but if you're travelling independently you'll appreciate a hire car.

Book ahead in summer

Restaurants in Hobart and Launceston get very busy between December and February, and the Taste of Summer festival in Hobart (December and January) brings in plenty of visitors, so book in advance.

Gear up for Tasmania

The excellence of Tasmanian food and drink has nothing to do with marketing. It comes down to the island's location, its climate and the quality of the local produce itself, which stays remarkably fresh because so much of Tasmania remains largely untouched.

For travellers planning a culinary road trip, a 10 day Tasmania itinerary offers enough flexibility to include cellar doors, farm gates, local markets and some of the state's most celebrated dining destinations.