Northeast Trail

The western section of this three-day journey winds through vineyards, the central section takes you to forests and towns that reveal a surprising history of Chinese tin mining, while the northern and eastern sections finish at white-sand beaches where you can scuba-dive, snorkel, swim, fish or just lie in the sun.

Beginning in Launceston, you travel through Lilydale to the cellar doors of the Pipers River area and on to the forestry hub of Scottsdale. Branching off to the north, you visit the seaside golfing haven of Bridport, before travelling through towns rich in tin mining heritage. Another side trip takes you to the beaches and grasslands of Mt William National Park, where you can swim, camp and watch kangaroos feed.

Return to the myrtle forests of the Blue Tier and the 90-metre (300-foot) cascades of St Columba Falls. Your journey ends on the north-east coast, where you visit the fishing and holiday town of St Helens and the white sands of the Bay of Fires.

While the Tamar Valley is Tasmania's best known wine region, there's much more to the State's northern vineyards. This route departs the Tamar River on its eastern bank near Launceston and travels through Lilydale to Pipers River, where a cooler climate produces exceptional rieslings and high-quality sauvignon blancs. Some of the cellar doors here have wonderful restaurants and tasting rooms - make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to savour this part of the tour.

The area further east has a distinctive history associated with the enterprise and ingenuity of Chinese immigrants who began arriving in the late 1870s and played a pivotal role in the development of the region, mining tin, planting market gardens and provisioning local stores. The history of tin mining in the region is being brought to life in a unique community project in the towns of Branxholm, Derby, Moorina and Weldborough.

• Pipers River region of the Tamar Valley Wine Route
• Barnbougle Dunes Golf Course
• Derby River Derby
  

• Visitor information
• Parks and Wildlife information
  Phone: (03) 6376 1550

Leaving Launceston, about 20 minutes into your journey you will arrive at the farming hamlet of Lilydale. Look out for the distinctive painted electricity poles that line the streets of the town. The northeast has its own Garden-Lovers Trail and details are available from the Scottsdale Visitor Information Centre.

For part of your journey along the North East Trail you are also travelling along the Tamar Valley Wine Route. After Lilydale, the distinctive yellow and blue grape signs point the way to the vineyards of the Pipers River Region. Providence -Tasmania's oldest vineyard - and Clover Hill, makers of premium sparkling wine, are both directly on the Trail and their cellar doors are open to the public. A 20-minute drive off the Trail along Pipers Brook Road will also allow you to sample the still and sparkling wines of Pipers Brook Vineyard and the Jansz Wine Room and Interpretive Centre. On the way, stop in at Brook Eden Vineyard, just a few minutes along Pipers Brook Road.

Back on the Trail, soak up the wonderful ambience and scents of Bridestowe Lavender Farm, the largest commercial Lavender Farm in the southern hemisphere. At any time of the year, the Farm is a spectacular sight - fresh green in spring, a shimmer of purple in summer, silvery-grey in winter. Have a coffee or lunch in Bridestowe's Cafe, then take a tour (December and January) to see how lavender is harvested and processed for its fragrant oils. Alternatively, picnic under the century old oak trees, stroll through the fields, and browse for gifts in the shop.

Fifteen minutes on from Bridestowe is Scottsdale, the major service town for the northeast. Here you can discover the secrets of the region's forest heritage at the contemporary Forest EcoCentre. The award-winning building showcases Tasmania's fine timbers and forest ecology through innovative architecture, design and interactive displays. The EcoCentre also houses the Scottsdale Visitor Information Centre where you can book accommodation and tours and find out all there is to see and do along the Trail.

Stay overnight in Scottsdale or drive 20 minutes north to the coastal village of Bridport. The town sits on a hillside, taking on the shape of an amphitheatre looking out over Anderson Bay to Barnbougle Beach and the Furneaux group of islands. Bridport is a thriving township all through the year, but especially in summer, as it offers a number of safe, picturesque and warm swimming beaches. It is also a favourite for salt water fishing and equipment can be hired in town if you don't have your own.

Just east of Bridport is Barnbougle Dunes Golf Links regarded as one of the top links courses in Australia, meandering through towering dunes and along Barnbougle Beach with Bass Strait as a back drop. Barnbougle Dunes also has a Club House with dining and bar facilities and quality accommodation.

After a hearty breakfast in Bridport or Scottsdale, enjoy one of the Bridport's several coastal walks. The walk through the Wildflower Reserve is particularly pleasant with views out over Anderson Bay, and is spectacular in spring as you walk through a mass of wildflowers to Adams Beach. From the centre of Bridport, a pleasant one-kilometre foreshore walk takes you along a series of small beaches to the popular Old Pier swimming beach.

Driving back through Scottsdale, the next town on your journey is Branxholm in the Ringarooma Valley. But before reaching Branxholm, take the turn off to Ringarooma and follow the signs to the impressive Ralphs Falls in the Mt Victoria Forest Reserve. The walk is one of Tasmania's 60 great short walks. A ribbon of water and sweeping views across picturesque farmland will greet you after an easy 10 minute walk through myrtle rainforest.

At Branxholm pause at the Red Bridge – a celebration of the significant Chinese mining heritage of the area. Shortly afterwards you'll arrive at Derby, once a thriving mining town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and today a pretty place to stop on your journey. (Read about an archaeological dig of an old miner's hut). Learn about the history of the area at the Tin Mine Centre and Shanty Town and then stay for a pleasant lunch in what was once an old school house. Then stroll over the road and spend time at the cafes, craft shops and galleries.

Derby is a good base from which to explore other features of the area. Stay the night in one of the town's original pubs or in a character-laden bed & breakfast.

Leaving Derby, the Trail takes you through more fertile farming and bushland areas.

Nature lovers will enjoy a side trip to Mt William National Park which offers stunning coastline with pristine white beaches, turquoise ocean and brightly coloured rock formations. Wildlife is everywhere and close encounters with local wallabies, wombats and Forester kangaroos are frequent. Visit Eddystone Point Lighthouse (c 1889) at the southern end of the park. The three houses at the Lighthouse station are the oldest surviving lighthouse keepers quarters in Tasmania. Mt William National Park is reached via Herrick and Gladstone and is worth extending your stay for.

Back on the North East Trail, continue on through to Weldborough and the Welborough Pass Scenic Reserve – just off this road is an enchanting 10 minute Rainforest Walk where you stroll beneath tall Myrtles and learn more about these ancient trees.

About 10 minutes after Weldborough, is the turn-off to the Blue Tier Nature Recreational Area where you can choose from a range of walks of 15 mins to five hours' duration. The 2.5 kms road to the walking tracks is unsealed, but is well worth the drive. The Big Tree Walk (60 minute return or 1.5 hour loop walk) takes you through a stunning sassafras and fern glade, descending through huge eucalypts , musk , myrtle, mosses and ferns to the Blue Tier Giant tree with its massive 19.4 metre girth.

The Reserve also bears further evidence of the region’s tin mining legacy. On Australia Hill see the remains of boilers and jockey wheels and wander among the ruins of what was once a mountain mining village.

Back on the Trail, the settlement of Pyengana boasts the Pyengana Cheese Factory and Holy Cow Café, the factory well known in Tasmania for its full-flavoured clothbound cheddars. To get there, turn down the St Columba Falls Rd at Pyengana.

After you’ve enjoyed a snack or a hearty ploughman’s lunch and purchased some produce to sample later, continue on to St Columba Falls State Reserve and see the magnificent 90 metre St Columba Falls. The walk to the Falls is another of Tasmania’s 60 great short walks.

Feeling thirsty? On the way back, stop in at the famous Pub in the Paddock, which served its first beer over 100 years ago.

The North East Trail then takes you on to St Helens, the picturesque fishing port on the shores of Georges Bay and the starting point for the East Coast Escape Touring Route.