The third annual Tasmanian Autumn Festival will highlight the natural wonders and artisan community of the Derwent Valley and Central Highlands throughout April.
The festival, running throughout all of April, will feature official Foodie and Tipple Trails connecting cafes, restaurants, breweries, distilleries and wineries across the region.
There will also be fungi hunts, photography competitions, historical tours, cooking workshops and blacksmithing workshops.
“The Tasmanian Autumn Festival is a month-long celebration that throws a spotlight on the beauty and bounty of the season,” Destination Southern Tasmania CEO Alex Heroys said.
“It’s a real celebration of autumn in our state and we focus it around the Derwent Valley and the Central Highlands, which really sings everything about autumn.”
Derwent Distillery head distiller Robbie Gilligan said the festival provides a major opportunity for local businesses to attract visitors beyond their usual reach.
“We’re actually going to open up the distillery to tours, which we don’t normally do,” Gilligan said.
“I’m freeing myself up for the whole month.”
Gilligan said the distillery will showcase new products including a forager’s gin alongside new whisky releases developed over recent months.
Key events on the calendar include the Derwent Valley Autumn Festival at New Norfolk Esplanade on April 12, the Honeybee Festival on April 19, and weekly distillery tours every Wednesday afternoon.
Gilligan said growing numbers of interstate visitors have discovered the area from the previous two years of the festival.
“It’s good to see more people coming in, not just from locally, but from interstate as well,” he said.
For more information go to www.tasmanianautumnfestival.com.au.
