East Tamar loop

The summer ritual of berry picking is alive and well at Hillwood Berries, or let the berries come to you in its farm-gate cafe.

Delve into the kanamaluka / River Tamar's shipping history at Low Head Pilot Station Maritime Museum. It's the oldest pilot station in Australia, and the museum contains the likes of cargo salvaged from shipwrecks and a harpoon from the area's early whaling days.

Five minutes' drive away, at the mouth of the kanamaluka / River Tamar, the 1833 Low Head Lighthouse is Australia's third-oldest light station. It has the southern hemisphere's only operating G-type foghorn, which sounds at noon every Sunday and can be heard up to 30km away.

The drive to Bridport skims across the northern edge of the Tamar Valley Wine Route, passing through Pipers River, known for its sparkling wine. Taste Tasmanian bubbles at Jansz Tasmania and Pipers Brook Vineyard. If you’re not in the vino mood, zip north to the Bass Strait coastline for some artisan whisky at Fannys Bay Distillery.

Stay the night in Bridport, where options include Platypus Park Country Retreat and Bridport Beach Cottages.

Golfers will want to make the pilgrimage to Barnbougle, where the Dunes and Lost Farm links courses have been rated among Australia's top 10 golf courses. The shorter, 14-hole Bougle Run course offers a quicker round. For a walk without golf clubs, the 11km Bridport Walking Track meanders along the foreshore before looping inland behind the town.

Unique Charters operates tailored helicopter trips with a food and wine focus across northern Tasmania. For something special, why not indulge in a private picnic on Swan Island?

Grab a late lunch or afternoon tea among the artworks at Scottsdale Art Gallery Cafe, which showcases Tasmanian artists.

Settle in for the night in Derby, the small town made big by mountain biking. Accommodation options include the units at Tin Mountain looking over the Ringarooma River, while Dales of Derby is good for groups.

There's more than 120km of flowing mountain biking along the Blue Derby trails, catering to all abilities. Bike hire and shuttles can be arranged at Vertigo MTB.

Sweat and soak away the rigours of the ride at the Floating Sauna Lake Derby, heating up inside the sauna and cooling down with regular plunges into the lake.

Pack a picnic for the road and head north to Little Blue Lake, once a mine but now filled with water, coloured a striking aqua by the mine’s minerals.

Tiny Weldborough was once a thriving tin-mining town, home to a Chinatown and Tasmania's first casino. Today it has a pub and a handful of residents and is surrounded by the magnificent rainforest of the Blue Tier. The Weldborough Pass Rainforest Walk is a 10min stroll into the forest right beside the Tasman Highway.

Overnight in Weldborough, within easy cycling distance of the Blue Derby network.

From Weldborough, it’s easy to link with the Great Eastern Drive’s Bays and Bikes itinerary.

Looking like some sort of folly in the forest, Mount Paris Dam was built by hand in 1936 to supply water to local tin mines. The 250m-long dam was later emptied and a hole blasted through it, so it now stands alone and isolated in the bush.

The Legerwood Carved Memorial Trees, just 3km off the Tasman Highway, form a sombre line of 25 tree stumps carved into sculptures of fallen World War I soldiers.

The serried rows of purple at Bridestowe Lavender Estate, the world's largest privately owned lavender farm, are picture-perfect. The lavender typically flowers from December through to early February, though the estate is open year-round.

Approaching Lilydale, an easy 10min walk in Lilydale Falls Reserve leads to pretty Lilydale Falls.

Fly through the treetops at Hollybank Forest Reserve on a ziplining tour or high ropes course with Hollybank Wilderness Adventures, or join a Segway tour. If cellar-door visits are more your style, call ahead to book tastings at nearby Clover Hill Wines, Apogee or The Ridge North Lilydale.