The Off Season: South

by James Marten

The Off Season is a time for gathering close, sharing stories and warmth in one another’s company. That spirit is alive in Hobart during the annual Festival of Voices (festivalofvoices.com), held 3-12 July. For ten days, voices of every kind rise into the cool night air, filling the streets and venues with song. With concerts, workshops and participatory events across Hobart and beyond, it’s Australia’s ultimate winter singing celebration and more than enough reason to be south during the Off Season.

Fill Your Winter Days

When the Festival of Voices’ final encore fades, a winter orchestra of activities keeps playing with wild abandon. The Off Season is the perfect time to try something you probably haven’t done before, like touring a vineyard with a friendly doggo. At Caledon Estate (caledonestate.com.au) near Richmond, join resident wine dog Sasha and her apprentice Biscuit on a private tour for two. You’ll wander the vines, discover the secrets behind their cabernet sauvignon and finish fireside with a guided tasting and matched canapés. It’s equal parts adorable and appetising. When the sun sets, it’s time to look up. The Off Season brings Tasmania’s longest, darkest and clearest night skies, perfect for stargazing. Tasmanian Photography Tours (tasmanianphotographytours.com.au) hosts immersive 2.5-hour experiences at the historic Mount Pleasant Observatory in Cambridge. Blending astronomy, storytelling and hands-on learning, these tours invite families, curious explorers, and keen photographers to see the cosmos in astonishing clarity. Further afield, the Off Season is an unparalleled mood-setter. When it hits the Tasmanian Highlands, the atmosphere is palpable as frost clings to paddocks and time slows. Experience this at Clyde Mill Distillery and Kitchen (clydemill.com.au) in Bothwell. Begin your winter morning with coffee and homemade biscuits before a relaxed tour of the heritage mill and distillery to learn how whisky is made, then settle in for a guided tasting. End your experience with lunch at the Mill Kitchen, with a side of local storytelling. The colder months are a time for reflection and resetting. Eudaimonia Tasmanian Cycling Tours (tasmaniancyclingtours.com) embraces this with three-day mindful cycling escapes through the Huon Valley. These aren’t pulse-pounding rides but gentle journeys through crisp air and scenic backdrops, with hot and cold therapy, breathwork, journalling and nourishing meals filled with Huon produce. It’s about slowing down and rediscovering what matters. For something a bit different, DineAlley (dinealley.com) offers intimate ‘Meet-the-Farmers’ tours in the agricultural town of Dunalley. With strictly small groups and exclusive access to farms not usually open to the public, this is an experience you can’t recreate. Join a tour this Off Season and you’ll receive a special gift bag of tastings including world-class cheese, a bottle of exquisite liqueur and a pot of organic pure honey. Bring the produce home to relive the experience.

Your Base Camp

When the day is done, your overnight stay becomes its own pleasure. Luckily, you’re spoilt for choice this Off Season. Picture yourself stargazing from an infinity spa beside a cosy forest cabin, maybe even catching a glimpse of an Aurora Australis in the sky. That’s what you’ll find at Orchards Nest Tasmania (orchardsnest.com) in the Huon Valley. Near Richmond, Aquila Eco Retreat (aquilaecoretreat.com.au) offers an adults-only, off-grid eco retreat. Here, you can try a hot-cold therapy session inspired by Nordic rituals. The guided cycle of heat, cold and deep rest is designed to support vascular health, energy and mood. You’ll head home glowing. For a forest escape, Mt Field Retreat (mtfieldretreat.com.au) sits right on the doorstep of stunning Mount Field National Park. Complimentary beanies and a classic Devonshire tea will be perfect for warming up after breathing in that fresh mountain air beneath the rainforest canopy. Prefer to be closer to the action in Hobart for the Festival of Voices? The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel (oldwoolstore.com.au) is within easy walking distance of where it all happens. If you stay a little longer, you’ll receive a pair of 100% Australian merino wool socks to keep your feet toasty, Tassie style.

Winter Events Too Good to Miss

The revelry continues on Off Season Fridays at Killara Distillery (killaradistillery.com) in Richmond, with after-work drinks, live music and a food van, every second Friday. Inside, glasses clink with whisky, gin, vodka and liqueurs crafted on site, providing a warming escape from those chilly evenings. But, if outside is where you prefer to be and invigoration is something you seek, then the Kunanyi Trail Series (kunanyitrailseries.com.au) delivers exactly that. Embark on a truly Tasmanian Off Season adventure on 21 June: the Knockers Solstice Trail Run, a guided torch-lit night jog through native bushland at Knocklofty Reserve. With Hobart’s lights sparkling below and the rustle of wallabies, bandicoots and owls in the dark, it’ll be wild, bracing and unforgettable.

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Hobart Happenings

by Steph Williams

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Hobart Happenings

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