Launceston to Cradle Mountain

With breakfast in our sights we made our way to the Stillwater Restaurant by Cataract Gorge in Launceston, overlooking the water. What a treat! The view was magical over the foggy waterfront, the building historical, the fare delectable! Well worth the visit. The venue is the wonderfully renovated Flour Mill from the 1840s and as Lonely Planet attests, it is one restaurant that shouldn’t be missed.

View from Stillwater restaurant

After checking out what else Launceston had to offer, we then made our way to Cradle Mountain, our next destination. Taking the Meander Highway, we headed west, bypassing the main highway. Travelling through quaint country towns, we were making our way to the salmon farm, 41^o South. While off the beaten track, locally grown and smoked salmon and fish feeding enticed us into the valley. 

Back on the road we made our next stop at Ashgrove Cheese Factory. Set in picturesque dairy country, Ashgrove is renowned throughout Australia as producing some of the finest cheeses next to King Island. Sampling their fare, we treated ourselves to some cheese and with a bread stick and a whole smoked salmon in hand, we were all set for a great impromptu picnic lunch. Stopping in quaint Railton, town of topiary, we enjoyed our lunch surrounded by elephants, corkscrews and kangaroos, all cleverly trained and contained!