As this year’s very chilly winter begins its farewell tour, I find myself yearning for the spring sun. There are few better ways to welcome the return of warmer days than with a trip to the coast, and my desti­nation of choice is Eaglehawk Neck.

Just over an hour’s drive southeast from Hobart, Eaglehawk Neck offers a reward­ing day trip from the city. While many travellers head directly to Port Arthur (for good reason, a fantastic day trip in itself), there are many gems along the way that are worth slowing down for.

This writer’s most recent visit was with my family. Starting from Hobart, the first leg takes about 30 minutes to Sorell – a perfect pitstop for a coffee break (try Velvet or Uncle Alby’s) – followed by another scenic 40-minute drive to reach Eaglehawk Neck. This part of the journey takes travellers through coastal farmland, giving way to native trees and occasional beautiful glimpses of the sea.

Approaching the Tasman Peninsula from the Arthur Highway, we made a brief detour to the Tasman Bay National Park Lookout. We got an unbeatable view of the land ahead. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect: bright sunlight showed off the tree-covered peninsula and the crystal-clear waters of Pirates Bay. Cubed Espresso, at the lookout, never disap­points if you need further caffeination at this point.

Continuing just a few minutes further, we reached the entrance to the Tessellated Pavement walk. This natural wonder is a flat rock surface divided into rectangular tiles, resembling a giant puzzle or dragon scales. A fascinating sight. Be sure to read the information signs that explain exactly how this natural phenomena occurs. The Pavement is also a great place for rockpooling. There’s so much life on the seashore, from peculiar-looking plants to tiny crustaceans.

We then made our way through The Neck. A narrow isthmus less than 100m wide at one point, it connects the Tasman Peninsula to the Forestier Peninsula. Historically, The Neck was a crucial security spot for the Port Arthur penal colony. A sculpture there marks the location of the Dog Line barricade, where a line of dogs were chained across The Neck to prevent convicts from escaping. While I didn’t visit on this trip, it’s worth stepping inside the Officers Quarters Museum, which tells the colonial history of Eaglehawk Neck, and is reputed to be the oldest wooden military building remaining in Australia.

From there, we travelled on to the Blowhole. The drive took us through Doo Town, a quirky shack community. In 1935, a Hobart architect named his shack here Doo I. The idea soon caught on with other shacks being named Doo-Me and Doo-U, and now most of the town’s shacks have Doo names. It was heaps of fun to slow down and catch all the creative ways locals have used the word.

At the Blowhole there is a food truck called Doo-lishus, which closes during the winter but offers great local seafood and ice-cream. There is a walking trail around the Blowhole which offers a view from multiple angles. The rougher the seas, the higher the spray. On the day we went things were rather calm so we didn’t get a magnificent display. A short walk took us to a lookout with stunning views of Pirates Bay, which offers good looks at the impressive sea cliffs.

There are more awe-inspiring geological displays nearby, namely the Devil’s Kitchen – a deep trench without an arch – and Tasman Arch – a natural bridge in the sea cliff. They are sort of opposites of each other, and both worth seeing.

Further down from the Blowhole is the Pirate Bay Jetty. Everytime I visit, I make sure to take a walk along the jetty and see what the fishers are catching – I’ve fished off this jetty a few times and the catch was always dinner-worthy. The jetty is painted with squid ink, indicating the abundance of the waters below.

We hadn’t had food yet, so we decided to have a late lunch at the Port Arthur Lavender Farm just an extra 15 minutes away. They have a comfortable restaurant where I tried a scallop pie (check out our story about scallop pies in this edition) and a lavender milkshake – both deli­cious. There is a fun variety of laven­der-flavoured yumminess on the menu, from lavender hot chocolate to lavender pancakes. After the meal, we browsed the splendid gift shop, then walked around the farm to admire the striking purples of the lavender, the bees offering a diegetic soundtrack with their constant and happy buzzing. A perfect way to cap off the afternoon before the drive back home.