Hidden Gems: Australia–Hands-on Food

Oysters, wine and cheese…who doesn’t like to enjoy good food and wine on vacation?  One of the great things about Tasmania is the bounty of organic, boutique farms and vineyards. And when you visit, you don’t just see and taste, you learn how to harvest and make the product.

Grandvewe Cheesery, Tasmania’s only organic sheep-milk farm, introduces you to the animals and then you learn the fine art of cheesemaking. If you want to stay longer, the farm is part of the Willing Workers on Organic Farms/World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) program and volunteers stay from days to months.

If you’re an oyster lover, and I am, don’t just eat ‘em at the restaurant. There are 10 million oysters in Barilla Bay and the farms will even let you get into the water and enjoy an oyster straight from the source.

Lastly, at Freycinet Wines, winemaker Claudio Radenti shows you how his wines go from grape to glass.

Watch Peter’s Hidden Gems culinary adventures to see the artistry and technique that sets apart Tasmania’s local food and wine scene.

Check back next Friday for a new Hidden Gems adventure in Australia and watch part one and two and three: Sydney Icons Behind the Scenes, Australia Seaplane Adventures and Wild Tasmania.

For more information about Tasmania & Australia, check out:

• The Travel Detective’s Favorite Foods from Around the World
• Four New Adventures from Australia’s Gold Coast
• Voluntourism Spotlight: Help the Koalas with the Earthwatch Institute
• Our Australia & New Zealand archives