The drive from Hobart to Launceston can be made in a little under two-and-a-half hours – a relatively straight shot up the Midland Highway through the heart of Tasmania. But to rush this roadtrip would be doing yourself and the Apple Isle a grave disservice.
Fortunately, interior stylist Steve Cordony had nothing but time when he embarked on the journey north in his Mercedes-Benz GLC following a busy weekend in Hobart. So much time, in fact, that he started by heading south.
Bruny Island
If tasting your way around Hobart’s Salamanca Markets and Farm Gate Market leaves you wanting more, start your Tasmania road trip right with the 35-minute detour south to Bruny Island. Drive onto the ferry at Kettering and you’ll be on this unspoilt patch of paradise in about 20 minutes. “It’s all very simple,” says Belle magazine’s style director-at-large. “But the sheer expanse, flatness and ruggedness of the landscape is amazing. And the sunsets ...”
Stay overnight - at least - to explore the island, whether it’s checking out the fairy penguins after dusk from the Big Hummock lookout on the Neck (the narrow isthmus linking Bruny’s north and south); discovering the stunning beaches around Adventure Bay; or taking the long drive along the dirt road to Cape Bruny Lighthouse. The latter is a trip the GLC takes in its stride, smoothing the way with AGILITY CONTROL suspension configured for ultimate ride comfort and 4MATIC-enhanced permanent all-wheel drive delivering outstanding off-road agility and optimum traction.
Steve was charmed to discover Bruny’s quirkiest bakery. “Each day, John Bullock, The Bruny Baker, bakes a whole bunch of loaves at his off-grid home at Sheepwash Bay,” Steve says. “He brings them to the corner of Sheepwash Road and the main road, where a couple of retro Kelvinator fridges serve as his honesty box. He stacks them with this beautiful sourdough wrapped in white paper, and whatever else he’s been baking, and you stop by, pull out what you need and leave the money.”