3 Underrated Tasmania Food and Drink

If you’ve ever talked to someone who’s just gotten back from Tasmania, you’ve probably heard them gush about the rugged coastlines, the friendly wombats, the weird and wonderful art at MONA, and the epic hikes up Cradle Mountain. The state’s wild, untouched landscapes are the main draw for most visitors, but a huge number of them come home and only talk about the views, missing out on the equally memorable, often more affordable food and drink scene that’s just as much a part of what makes Tassie special.

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If you’re planning a trip, you’ve almost certainly seen lists of “must-try Tassie food” full of smoked salmon, clotted cream teas, and single malt whiskey. Don’t get me wrong, those are all great—but they’re the stuff every tourist knows about. There are dozens of underrated gems hidden in tiny roadhouses, family-run farms, and remote hiking huts that most visitors never hear about, either because they’re only available for a few months a year, or because they don’t get the big marketing budgets of the more famous spots. We’re rounding up three of the best underrated Tassie food and drink experiences that’ll make your trip feel way more unique than the standard tourist trail.

1. Pepperberry Wallaby Sausage Rolls from Derwent Valley Roadhouse

I stumbled on this spot on a rainy road trip between Hobart and the Southwest National Park, and I still think about these sausage rolls six months later. The tiny roadhouse is run by a local couple who source wallaby meat from a nearby cull program (it’s a sustainable way to control the wild wallaby population that’s overrunning parts of the state), grind it with wild pepperberries that grow in the surrounding forests, and wrap it in flaky, buttery puff pastry. The pepperberry gives it this warm, peppery kick that cuts through the richness of the pastry, and the wallaby meat is leaner than beef, so it doesn’t feel heavy even if you eat two. It’s perfect for anyone stopping for a quick bite on a long drive, hikers heading into the national park, or even people who just want a cheap, delicious lunch that tastes like the local bush.

If you’re not a fan of game meat, don’t write this off—the pepperberry seasoning is strong enough that it doesn’t taste gamey at all, and the pastry is so good you’d swear it was made by a fancy bakery, not a roadside stop. It’s the kind of casual, unpretentious food that makes Tassie feel so different from the overpriced tourist traps you find in the capital.

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• Visit between late March and early June, when wild pepperberries are at their peak. The roadhouse only makes these sausage rolls during this window, and the pepperberry flavor is way more pronounced than the off-season batches that use frozen berries.
• Call at least 90 minutes ahead if you’re stopping on a weekend or public holiday. The roadhouse only makes 120 sausage rolls a day, and they sell out by 1pm most Saturdays, especially during hiking season.

2. Small-Batch Truffle Hunting in the Tamar Valley

Most people know Tassie makes world-class truffles, but almost all of the marketing points to the fancy truffle dinners at high-end Hobart restaurants. Skip those, and book a morning hunt with one of the small family-run truffieres outside of Launceston, in the Tamar Valley. These families grow truffles on 2-5 acre plots, not the huge commercial farms, and they let you join them and their trained lagotto romagnolo for a 2-hour hunt through the oak forests. You’ll get to dig up the truffles yourself (the dogs are trained to sniff them out, and you get to pull them from the dirt with the farmer’s help), and then the family will cook you a lunch using the truffles you just found: think truffle mashed potato with local butter, truffle scrambled eggs with free-range chook eggs, and a tiny truffle chocolate mousse for dessert.

It’s such a fun, hands-on experience, and you get to learn so much about how truffles are grown, not just served on a plate. It’s way more personal than dropping $150 on a truffle dish at a fancy restaurant, and you get to take home a small jar of the truffle salt the farmers make as a thank-you gift. This one is perfect for foodies who like learning where their food comes from, couples looking for a unique date activity, families with kids over 8 who love animals, and anyone who’s tired of stuffy, overpriced food experiences.

• Book your hunt between mid-June and mid-August, which is peak truffle season in Tassie. The weather is cool but not freezing, the truffles are at their most fragrant, and the dogs are most active and eager to hunt.
• Reserve your spot at least 3 weeks in advance, especially if you’re traveling on a weekend. Small producers only take 4-6 people per hunt, so slots fill up fast, and most don’t take last-minute bookings.

3. Leatherwood Honey Cream Tea at Cradle Mountain’s Historic Huts

If you’re planning a trip to Cradle Mountain, you’ve probably seen the lists of “must-do hikes” and “best restaurants in the area,” but almost no one mentions the cream tea you can get at the historic volunteer-run huts dotted along the Overland Track and the shorter day walks around the mountain. These huts have been run by local volunteers for decades, and they serve a simple, no-fuss cream tea with clotted cream from a nearby dairy, homemade strawberry jam, and warm scones drizzled with wild leatherwood honey harvested from the forests right around Cradle Mountain. Leatherwood honey has this unique earthy, floral flavor that you can’t find anywhere else in the world, and paired with the warm scones and cold cream, it’s the perfect pick-me-up after a cold, windy hike.

It’s way better than the fancy $25 desserts you’ll find at the tourist restaurants in the village, and the money goes straight to maintaining the hiking tracks and huts, so you’re giving back to the area while you eat. You don’t have to be a hardcore hiker to enjoy this, either—many of the easy 1-hour day walks around Dove Lake and Crater Lake pass right by the huts, so even if you’re just there for the views, you can stop in for a snack. It’s perfect for hikers of all levels, couples, and anyone who loves cozy, low-fuss food in beautiful, remote locations.

• Plan your visit between late October and early April, when the huts are open and the weather is mild enough to sit outside on the decks. During winter (June to September), most of the huts are closed, and the weather is too cold and snowy to stop for a snack.
• Bring cash with you when you visit. Almost all of the volunteer-run huts don’t take card, and the $5-$8 you pay for a cream tea goes directly to track and hut maintenance, so it’s a small way to support the local conservation efforts.

At the end of the day, the best part of Tassie’s food and drink scene is how unpretentious it is—you don’t need a reservation at a $200-a-head restaurant to have a meal you’ll remember for years, you just need to be willing to stop at the tiny roadhouse, book a small local experience, or pull over at a hiking hut for a snack. The state’s unique landscape and cool, crisp climate mean that almost all of its food and drink is grown or made right there, and the people who make it are usually more than happy to chat to you about where it comes from, if you take the time to ask. Whether you’re there for a long weekend or a month, these underrated gems will make your trip feel way more personal and memorable than sticking to the standard tourist trail.