Destination Focus - Central North Tasmania

DELORAINE

Deloraine is a delightful riverside town with an historic streetscape classified by the National Trust.

Set in the foothills of the Great Western Tiers mountain range, Deloraine's resident population of around 2,000 swells by 30,000 when Australia's biggest working craft fair comes to town every November. Held over four days, more than 200 exhibitors show everything from kites to candle wicks, kaleidoscopes to fine silkscreen paintings, woodcarvings, lead lights and hand-blown glassware.

Outside of festival time, arts and crafts still dominate with the town's many local galleries, craft shops and antique stores.

Deloraine's streets are lined with Georgian and Victorian buildings and make for a charming morning or afternoon stroll. The town's excellent bakeries and cafes are also popular local hotspots.

Farm experiences in the area include award-winning salmon, honey, raspberries and cheese, and the flora and fauna of Tasmania's world-famous national parks including the limestone caves of Mole Creek Karst National Park.

WESTBURY

Westbury is a classic Georgian village, surrounded by hedgerows and bursting with old English charm.

Nestled under the Great Western Tiers, Westbury was a major stopping point between Hobart and the North West, however despite becoming the largest military community in Tasmania, the town failed to grow beyond a small population of convicts and free settlers.

Time may have stood still, but Westbury ticks on today as a classified historic town with plenty of attractions and charm. Its delightful streetscape includes stately inns, churches, homesteads, shops and public buildings restored to their former glory. Many now trade as antique shops and galleries showing the work of local artists and photographers.

Train lovers flock to the largest collection of antique steam engines in the world at Pearn's Steam World while the 170 year-old open garden and hedge maze at Westbury Maze and Tea Room will delight green thumbs, the young and the young at heart.

Westbury is a delightful base for exploring the many nearby attractions, from Launceston and the Tamar Valley to the gems of Tasmania's north-west.

MOLE CREEK

Mole Creek is a pretty town surrounded by some of Tasmania's most beautiful wilderness and is the perfect base for exploring nearby national parks, Cradle Mountain and some amazing caves that must be seen to be believed.

Wrapped in natural beauty, Mole Creek is the departure point for guided journeys into the famous Mole Creek Caves. These fragile limestone caves are a hidden world of spectacular formations, sparkling crystals and underground streams, with glow worms and other rare creatures that never see the light of day.

There are also plenty of opportunities to meet the local wildlife outside at the Trowunna Wildlife Park, including a close encounter of the Tasmanian devil kind.

There are several walking and cycling tracks near Mole Creek, like the scenic Westmorland Falls and Alum Cliffs Gorge lookout.

A little further afield, Liffey Falls is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and has an easy walking track with picnic facilities among lush green ferns.

In fact, this friendly town is the perfect base for exploring the entire region and has plenty of great food and accommodation in some of Mole Creek's most charming historic hotels and cottages.

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

Miena is a small lakeside town with excellent fishing, stunning scenery and lakeside rest and play.

Located in the heart of Tasmania's central highlands, Miena is a popular shack village for holiday-makers and keen fishers with Great Lake the main attraction. This is Australia's second largest freshwater lake. It sits one kilometre above sea level and supplies hydroelectricity as well as a bounty of fresh fish for keen anglers.

It's also one of the coldest places in Tasmania, swelling in population in the warmer months and providing a stunning snow-covered landscape in winter that's best enjoyed by a log fire.

Activities in Miena are many and varied, from trout fishing and bushwalking to bird-watching and lakeside relaxation.

The nearby Central Plateau Conservation Area is known as the Land of a Thousand Lakes and contains a stunning glacial and alpine landscape that forms part of the Tasmanian World Heritage Wilderness Area.

Accommodation in and around Miena includes lakeside hotels and self-contained lodges and shacks.