AS TASMANIA’S culinary reputation grows, so too do the opportunities to mix travel and quality food experiences. At the historic Red Feather Inn near Launceston, the prospect is just a few steps from the door of your room.

Built in 1842, the Red Feather was one of Tasmania’s first coaching inns.

Today, it’s a B&B with guest rooms spread across the main inn, the former officers’ quarters for the adjoining jail, and the twin-level hayloft inside the old stables.

French provincial styling abounds, from the furnishings to the 1892 clock that came from a French hotel, which ticks away beside the dining table. In autumn the French-style gardens turn as red as the inn’s name, and the silence is more complete than the 15km to Launceston would suggest.

The location, in the town of Hadspen – said to be the third-oldest city in Australia – is superb, on the banks of the South Esk River just before it burrows through Cataract Gorge into Launceston.

Food is paramount to the inn experience. House chef Tanya White, formerly at Rosevears Vineyard in the nearby Tamar Valley, offers guest dinners Tuesday to Saturday. Each weekend the inn also hosts an all-day cooking class, featuring topics such as artisan bread making, butchery and cheesemaking, led by chefs such as Philip Johnson from E’cco.
Andrew Bain travelled courtesy of Tourism Tasmania.

The info
Red Feather Inn
42 Main St, Hadspen Tas 7290
Phone: 03 6393 6506
Web: www.redfeatherinn.com.au
Rates: From $350 per night; cooking classes start from $245