Indoor fun for chilly days

Cosy cafes and foodie escapes

Warm cafes and homely pubs come into their own when it’s cold. New eatery Six Russell Bakes, in Hobart’s Sandy Bay, has a bakery, bistro and bar with a focus on quality local produce. “It’s designed to have a connection to place, through our connections to local producers and the farms we’re using; we want to have that traceability,” explains creative director Kobi Ruzicka, who is also behind the respected Dier Makr and Lucinda wine bar venues.

“With a sandwich, for example, we can say ‘the salami is made by Luke, the leaves are grown by Liz’… we can go through and tell you exactly who has grown what on each layer.” As the mercury drops, Six Russell Bakes will be changing its bistro menu to suit. “We have warming, richer foods taking a French influence but using Tasmanian produce,” Kobi says. “And in the bakery we’ve got a really strong coffee program, plus tarts with preserved stone fruits and candied cherries saved from summer.” 

In Launceston, family-run The Pantry Cafe’s outdoor area is gorgeous in the morning sun, but if the sun isn’t showing up you can be cosy inside instead. The smoothies are a great start to the day and there’s all-day brekky.

On the East Coast, Easy Tiger in St Helens is a hospitality and entertainment venue in what was once the local skate rink. Not only does Easy Tiger serve its own brews and meals, it also has a boutique cinema and regular live music.

In Launceston, Du Cane Brewery’s dining hall is a relaxed, large indoor space with kid-friendly areas and tasty pizzas.

In the Huon Valley, Willie Smith’s Apple Shed is another vast space with cosy corners. Enjoy an apple cider, delicious snacks or full meals, and learn more about the history of apple farming and production in the area. Don’t sleep on the apple pie – it’s famous for good reason and will warm you up from the inside out.

Tasmania’s traditional pubs are well known for their cosy atmospheres and hearty meals made with local produce, and surely these things taste best next to a roaring fire? Some of the state’s most-loved pubs with fireplaces are situated right next to some of our most fabulous walks, such as the Cradle Mountain Lodge or the Fern Tree Tavern. Or try 2024’s Tasmanian Hospitality Awards winners for Regional Pub of the Year and Best Pub Dining, the Longley International Hoteland Shipwright Arms respectively. Both have fabulous open fireplaces to warm your cockles by.

Relax and unwind

Yoga, meditation and massage can all bring physical and mental wellbeing benefits, which are so needed through the darker months, and can all be done indoors on a rainy day. Try out various styles of yoga (heated or unheated) or meditation to find one that suits at Launceston’s House of Prana. For a wildly relaxing treat, book yourself in with Highland Massage’s dedicated studio at Lake St Clair’s Pumphouse Point. 

Or to seriously warm up, try one of the many saunas on offer as this ancient ritual booms across the island. Selena de Carvalho has based her bespoke and super cute mobile Elsewhere Sauna at Drip Beach, south of Cygnet in the Huon Valley, for the past few seasons.

“Winter requires hibernation, and to be indoors a lot, and sauna really offers an opportunity for people to be embodied, to connect with the elements – because the sauna has the element of fire and steam and water – then there is the respite of the ocean which is also this really enlivening experience that brings you into the present,” says Selena. She loves seeing how it brings people together. “It feels age-old. It feels like an ancient human cultural activity and technology that we are reinvigorating, and I think we have the perfect climate for that modality.”