DESTINATION: Scottsdale

The largest town in north-east Tasmania is the centre for a prosperous agricultural area and a thriving pine forest industry. Other industries include food processing, and the cultivation of oil poppies and hops.

Main Attractions

Settlers Museum in King St operated as a theatre from 1924 to 1972. Scottsdale Forest EcoCentre has interactive displays showcasing the regional forest industry. Tours of the dried-fruit laboratory, MRL, in George St are available on request. Scottsdale is also a base for Pepper Bush Peaks wildlife and wilderness tours, and Sapphire Safari gem-fossicking tours to nearby areas.

Nearby attractions

A visit to Bridestowe Lavender Farm, 13km west, is a unique experience as it is the only one of its kind in Australia. The flowering season is mid-Dec-late Jan. Sideling Lookout, 16km west, provides views of the countryside. Golconda, 20km west, is the venue for the Tasmanian Circus Festival in February. Derby Tin Mine Centre, 30km east, provides horse-drawn coach rides to the 1885 granite tunnel. Shanty Town, next door, features a miner's cottage, general store, butcher's shop, mine office and the original Derby gaol. About 1 hour's drive south-east of town, White Gum Reserve has giant white gum trees up to 89m high and 3000 years old. The South Esk River, for brown trout fishing, is close to town, as are Cuckoo and Mathinna waterfalls.

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Region: North East

by admin

If there’s a single keynote for Tasmania’s North East, perhaps it’s colour - travelling through this part of the State, you’ll be aware of the changing tones and hues of the land, the sky, the sea. In Scottsdale’s green and fertile valley, beyond the dark green of tall pines, dairy herds graze rich pastures and the fertile red soil nourishes wonderful vegetables - onions and peas, carrots and potatoes. In summer fields of poppies splash the landscape, and lavender bushes grow in tidy, purple stripes. more

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Tourist info

Scottsdale Forest EcoCentre, 86-88 King St, Ph: (03) 6352 6465

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