Perfect long weekend getaway idea: Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

News.com.au - 09/02
We’ve all been there.

We’ve all been there.

You’ve got a long weekend off work, and rather than the same coastal town you go to every time you’re bored of home, you’re desperate to try something … different. An adventure.

With a flight of just under two hours from Sydney, an hour from Melbourne, and even just four hours from Perth, Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain could be everything you want.

A two-hour drive from Launceston Airport, not a moment of your long weekend need be wasted, with the Northwest Tasting Trail – a specialist collection of artisan farms, wineries and foods scattered in the island’s northwest – welcoming you with stops along the way to your final destination – the $20 million revamped Discovery Parks site.

The new premium cabins at Discovery Parks, Cradle Mountain, are a secluded retreat.
The giant bed and high-quality linens give guests the perfect night's rest.

After a quick stop at Launceston’s famed Bread + Butter bakery, where you can perk up the morning with a coffee, pastries or even homemade crumpets with hand-churned butter, grab a car and drive onto the trail.

The cabins are stunning, with wooden beamed ceilings in keeping with the forest setting.
Flying into Launceston, a morning snack at Bread + Butter is highly recommended.
Hazelbrae Hazelnuts is a family-owned business selling delicious local produce, made all from their own hazelnuts.
Hazelbrae Hazelnuts is part of the Northwest Tasting Trail.
Lunch at Meander Valley Vineyard is the perfect stopover on the way to Discovery Parks.
Meander Valley Vineyard is well-timed stop on the way to Cradle Mountain, where you can taste their wines and have lunch at the same time.

Hazelbrae Hazelnuts, owned by a local couple with a passion for produce, should be first up to sample some tasty, handmade treats including chocolate-y nut butters.

Further towards Cradle Mountain is the Meander Valley Vineyard, an ideal stop to taste delicious wines and sample a range of homemade pizzas.

Spending a few hours with the diligently adorable truffle dogs at The Truffle Farm is a highlight for all the family, with tours starting from $125 per person.

The dogs clearly adore their job, shuffling their well-honed noses into the soil to sniff out the delectable truffles, which are then...
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