Off to See the Lavender

Explore your backyard before looking offshore, so I heard it over and over. Yet, it took us this long to go down to our island state, Tasmania. We spent last Christmas in Launceston, the second largest city of Tassie and stayed for almost a week. I expected it to be a quiet and serene place but equally beautiful and charming.

I wasn’t disappointed as it delivered more than my expectations. My boys had equally fascinating time and hubby got more as the weather was cooler than in Sydney that he even mentioned he can retire down there. Such a long plan aye 🙂 But it gave us a refreshing and contemplating week.

One of the highlights of the trip is the visit to Bridestowe Lavender Estate which has over 260 acres of lavender fields and is one of the world’s largest and oldest commercial plantations. It’s an hour long drive from Launceston (no matter how the map says it’s only 45 minutes) in a small town of Nabowla. It’s a single lane road but quite scenic and easily navigable though there are some railroad crossings to be mindful of.

There’s a $10 gate fee for adults which I think is worth it especially if you’re into landscape and scenic photography or just merely for social media posting. The area is massive and we barely walked through it when the boys decided to head to the café for brunch. I had so much fun snapping photos although I had to admit it is the least fun activity for my bigger boys.

But they were delighted when they saw the ice cream truck and the café which served sausage rolls and pies. Pies were sold-out but I was happy enough with lavender scones. And who would know they had a lavender bubble tea with pearls. Maybe it was kind of expected judging by the amount of Asian tourists who arrived in buses. Fun fact: Don’t you know Bobbie the resident lavender bear is popular in China? Too bad I didn’t get one but I bought his fridge magnet and lavender lip balm.

If you’re keen of posting fun and stunning pictures in a lavender field, wear a flowy or flimsy dress that will go with the wind and with your leisure movements. I got this blue floral maxi dress from Ministry of Style, a popular Australian label. Don’t forget the hat as it is a must, not only as an accessory but for sun protection most of all.

If you happen to find yourself in this bottom part of the world, see this farm even once in your life. It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited, it’s the second lavender farm that I saw, the first one was in Wanaka, New Zealand. But there is always magic as soon as you see it, its aroma filling the air is the icing on the cake.