Holiday houses in Cygnet

Known for its creative community and sustainable farming, the town of Cygnet encapsulates the hip side of rural life. With its orchards, vineyards, craft shops, and art galleries, you could spend days sampling the array of locally and lovingly-made gourmet fare. Sitting at the water’s edge, between the mouth of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and the banks of the Huon River, Cygnet’s terrain is lush with apple, cherry, and berry trees lining the surrounding hills. When booking Cygnet accommodation expect to find a range of historic and modern architectural styles showcasing more of the town’s artistic flair.

If you can tear yourself away from Cygnet itself, there’s an abundance of activities on offer on its rural fringes. Discover the area by land by hiking, driving, cycling, or riding; on the water by swimming, fishing, sailing, boating; or or take to the skies and discover the coast’s beauty by glider or on a scenic flight.

For hot, beach-style holidays, it’s best to visit over the Christmas period or in January and February when the weather is at its warmest. July is the coolest month and August is the wettest. With the town fast becoming a food, drink, and art mecca, Cygnet has its own unique appeal. Never short on social gatherings or gastronomical, music, and arts and crafts events, Cygnet attracts visitors throughout the year. If you’re a folk music fan, be sure to look out for Cygnet accommodation in early January and bag your spot at the Cygnet Folk Festival. And, if you happen to visit in November as the weather starts to warm, you may even be lucky enough to get a ticket for the town’s famous annual Cygnet Cup snail race.

Tasting tours

There are guided wine tours and brew hops where you’ll be given a wealth of insight into the local fermenting and distilling processes. If you’d rather follow the beat of your own drum, you can design your own tour. Bottle shops focus on craft distilleries offering tipples ranging from apple brandy to whisky and London-style gins. The area also supports micro-breweries, cider houses, and boutique vineyards producing reds, whites, and rosés. And that’s before you’ve even started visiting the local dairies, bakers, cheesemakers, honey farms, and chocolatiers.

Salamanca Market

To experience the area’s craft and culinary treasures in one spot, look no further than Salamanca Market in nearby Hobart. This bustling collection of stalls and entertainment pops up every Saturday to showcase the area’s arts and crafts, gourmet delights, and local music.

Hartz Mountains National Park

Part of the Tasmanian World Heritage Area, the Hartz Mountains National Park covers a range of terrain from its shores to its peaks. There are a host of trails for different abilities that will take hikers past lakes and glaciers, through rainforest, and over moorland. Wombats, wallabies, and platypuses are just a few of the local residents who may cross your path on the way.