Shuck off
with Hugh Whitehouse

For Hugh Whitehouse, the only way to tackle winter in Tasmania is to mussel his way through it with hearty seafood.

The former executive chef at famed luxury hotel Saffire Freycinet now cultivates his passion for ocean-to-dish produce at Freycinet Marine Farm in Coles Bay and Fishers of Freycinet at Devil’s Corner Cellar Door.

Find these culinary havens on the sunny east coast near Freycinet National Park: a pristine playground of pink-granite mountains, hemmed by turquoise bays and white sands.

Watch the video to take a look at Freycinet Marine Farm's Off Season offer from winters past.

“I think it’s really quite rare as a chef that you actually also have a farm that sits with your business,” Whitehouse says of Freycinet Marine Farm, “so the idea of getting fresh oysters and mussels daily from these pristine waters is pretty special.”

Mighty mussels

Come and warm up in the Off Season at Freycinet Marine Farm with hearty winter seafood dishes filled with the marine farm's own steamy Tasmanian blue mussels plucked fresh from the sea. Polish it all off with a paired Freycinet Vineyard riesling.

Whitehouse says winter cuisine at the marine farm is best enjoyed beside their on-site fire.

You’re sensing all those beautiful aromas coming out of the dish.

The carbon-neutral mussels are farmed onsite at Freycinet Marine Farm in Great Oyster Bay, their discarded shells layering the ground in the restaurant’s outdoor dining area, crunching and clattering underfoot.  

The cooler months mark the best time to visit Tasmania for plump scallops, crayfish, oysters and mussels. As Whitehouse explains, “they love the cold water”. Good thing, then, that Tasmania is particularly crisp in winter, with water temperatures diving down to 12–14°C – lovely conditions for a cold plunge.  

Eat up the east

Being based in chilled-out coastal paradise Coles Bay places Whitehouse within easy access of the east coast’s best Tasmania winter road trip experiences.

You might find him camping somewhere picturesque, cooking over a fire and warming up with a whisky from Waubs Harbour Distillery in Bicheno, or strolling along seemingly endless (and in winter, virtually empty) stretches of sand. Whitehouse recommends Waubs Beach, Denison Beach or the “unique and raw” Friendly Beaches.

And he can’t go past the region's finest drops, especially the spice and citrus of a Freycinet Vineyard chardonnay.

“Tassie produces some of the great wines not just in Australia, but I’d say the world,” Whitehouse says.

Discover delectable whisky by the waves at Waubs Harbour Distillery, sipping single-malt spirits beside the dramatic Bicheno coastline.

If you’re travelling further afield, Whitehouse recommends a trip to the state’s north for a Fork it Farm long table feast celebrating all things pork.

Savour a seasonal stay

You don’t have to leave the comfort of your east-coast accommodation to experience foodie indulgence in the Off Season.

Enjoy rustic bliss, farm-cooked winter fare and a soothing hot tub under the stars at Twamley Farm in Buckland. Or tap into wild wellness with an icy plunge and onsen experience at Japanese-inspired SABI in Binalong Bay.

More hot-and-cold opportunities await when you visit Still at Freycinet in Coles Bay, a Nordic-style sauna retreat. Or flock to the Keep – an extravagant escape with epic 360-degree views of north-east Tasmania – for a lavish Off Season you won't forget. And there are plenty more luxurious stays to choose from.

Mussel out the cold

Whatever you choose to do in the Off Season, embrace the unpredictability. For Whitehouse, nothing beats winter’s bluebird days and star-speckled nights, but he’s also no stranger to woolly weather. So how exactly did this former Sydneysider become a winter person?

“First thing: toughen up. It’s not as cold as everybody thinks it is,” he says with a giggle.

Wintertime here, it’s about putting on your beanies and your scarves and your big jackets and getting out there.

Whitehouse recommends taking your time, and thoughtfully disposing of rubbish to help preserve the pristine environment.

“Embrace the slowness of Tasmania,” he says. “Enjoy the people that you're going to meet and talk to them, because they've always got a great story to tell.”

If all else fails to warm you up, there’s always hearty Freycinet seafood.