Tasmania changes quickly once you leave the city behind. From Hobart, Jono heads inland towards the Central Highlands, a region known for cold conditions, high country landscapes, lakes, lagoons and some of the best trout fishing in the country.
It is a very different side of Tasmania to the coast. The roads feel quieter, the air feels sharper and the landscape opens up into a wild, exposed part of the island that rewards travellers who are willing to go beyond the obvious stops.
For caravanners, the Central Highlands are not just a place to drive through. They are a place to slow down, settle in and let the conditions shape the trip.
The Apple Isle Outpost
The Central Highlands cover more than 8,000 square kilometres, making the region feel vast, remote and full of space. It is also closely tied to Tasmania’s hydro-electric story, with lakes, dams and waterways forming part of the system that has helped power the state.
But for Jono, the main mission is fishing. He is chasing brown trout on fly.
Arriving At Great Lake
Jono arrives at Great Lake Hotel in Miena, ready to use it as a base for the highland leg of the journey. The plan is simple: settle in, get local advice and head out for a fish.
The target is either rainbow trout or brown trout, but as Jono quickly learns, fishing in the Central Highlands can test your patience.
He tries three different locations and still comes up empty.
His verdict says it all: “That’s why it’s called fishing and not catching.”
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Where They Stayed: Great Lake Hotel
Great Lake Hotel is a proper highland base. Jono catches up with James from the hotel and gets a look at what makes it such a useful stop for travellers heading into the Central Highlands. Inside, there is the kind of country pub comfort you want after a cold day outside: a fireplace, pool table and warm local atmosphere. For travellers, there are powered sites, cabins and access to supplies through the general store.
That matters in this part of Tasmania. Once you are in the highlands, a good base is more than just somewhere to sleep. It becomes the place you return to after fishing, driving, exploring or waiting out a change in the weather.
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Great Lake Hotel
Fly Fishing At Penstock Lagoon
After a tough first attempt, Jono heads out with Jason, a local fly fishing guide from Myuna Guiding Tasmania.
The setting is Penstock Lagoon, and the morning could not feel more Tasmanian: foggy, still and peaceful.
This is where the episode really slows down. Fly fishing is not a rushed activity. It is about patience, small details, watching the water, reading the conditions and learning from someone who knows the place.
For Jono, it becomes a proper milestone. He catches his first brown trout. Even better, it is his first fish on fly. A new skill, a new place and one of those quiet wins that makes a road trip memorable.
What’s Up Downunder Kitchen
Chilli and Lime Trout On The Coals
Ingredients
- Fresh brown trout
- Lime slices
- Extra lime juice
- Big chilli chunks
- Garlic
- Tasman Pepperberry Sea Salt
- Olive oil
Method
- 1Start by preparing the trout and opening the cavity.
- 2Place lime slices and big chilli chunks inside the fish.
- 3Rub the outside with garlic, pepperberry salt and olive oil.
- 4Add a squeeze of lime juice over the outside, then season again with pepperberry salt from Tasman Sea Salt
- 5Wrap the trout tightly in foil sheets. Make sure the liquid cannot escape. Double wrap the fish, flipping it over before adding the second layer so the seams are sealed properly.
- 6Place it over the coals, or any steady heat source, and cook until the fish is just done.
- 7Once cooked, let it rest before unwrapping.
- 8To serve, slowly reveal the meat under the skin and gently pull it away from the bone.
Camp Cooking Tips
- ✓Freshwater fish usually needs extra salt, especially when cooked whole over coals.
- ✓Season it well before wrapping so the flavour carries through the fish.
- ✓Check fishing rules — bag limits and size restrictions apply. Check fishing.tas.gov.au before you head out.
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Suggested itinerary
Hobart to Central Highlands
- 1Hobart to Miena
Leave Hobart and head inland towards the Central Highlands. Set up at Great Lake Hotel and take time to settle into the region. - 2yingina / Great Lake
Explore Great Lake, check conditions and try a few fishing locations. Expect the weather to shape the day. - 3Penstock Lagoon
Book a local fly fishing guide and spend the morning on the water. This is a great way to learn the area properly. - 4Camp cooking and highland touring
Cook a simple trout meal over the coals, then explore nearby lakes, roads, lookouts and highland scenery.
Traveller Notes
“This episode shows such a different side of Tasmania. After the coast and Hobart, the Central Highlands feel wild, cold and beautifully quiet. I love that Jono does not catch straight away, because that is real travel and real fishing. Then when he finally lands his first brown trout on fly, it feels earned. Add in the Great Lake Hotel, camp cooking and the short stay ferry crossing with Fiona, and it is a really strong end to this part of the Tasmania journey.”.”
Missed last week? Catch up here: Tasmania: Port Arthur to Hobart
Camplify Short Stay · This Season
Mornington Peninsula
📍 Sorrento to Queenscliff
For road travellers, this is one of Victoria’s most useful shortcuts. Instead of driving around Port Phillip Bay through Melbourne, you can roll the van onto the ferry and cross between the Mornington Peninsula and the Bellarine Peninsula.
Searoad Ferries: Sorrento To Queenscliff
Fiona takes the van onto Searoad Ferries for the crossing from Sorrento to Queenscliff.
For road travellers, this is one of Victoria’s most useful shortcuts. Instead of driving around Port Phillip Bay through Melbourne, you can roll the van onto the ferry and cross between the Mornington Peninsula and the Bellarine Peninsula.
It also adds a bit of fun to the journey. The van is part of the experience, the water becomes part of the route and the short stay starts to feel like a proper getaway.
Queenscliff South Pier And Art On The Peninsula
After arriving in Queenscliff, Fiona heads to South Pier for Art on the Peninsula.
This stop brings Fiona’s own creative work into the episode, with her photography featured as part of the art experience.
It is a lovely fit for the short stay. Queenscliff has a strong coastal character, and pairing the ferry arrival with art on the pier gives this part of the episode a relaxed, local feel.
Back To Portsea: Le Capucin
After the Queenscliff visit, Fiona heads back towards Portsea and stops at Le Capucin.
This French-inspired cafe brings coffee, pastries and a relaxed village feel into the short stay. It is the kind of place that works perfectly on a coastal itinerary: easy to drop into, good for a slow morning and close to the Portsea atmosphere travellers love.
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Le Capucin
Aegean Designs Studio
The short stay continues at Aegean Designs Studio in Portsea. This gallery-style stop brings art, design and local shopping into the itinerary, showing that the Mornington Peninsula is not just about beaches and food.
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Aegean Designs Studio
Back To Whitecliffs Foreshore Reserve
Fiona finishes the short stay back at Whitecliffs Foreshore Reserve.
After the ferry crossing, Queenscliff visit and Portsea stops, it is a place to settle in, reset and enjoy the foreshore, with the van close by and the day’s exploring done.
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Whitecliffs Foreshore Reserve
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Oscar’s On The Yarra
While Jono has been travelling through Tasmania, Ariarne Titmus has been filming her hosting segments from Oscar’s on the Yarra in Warburton.
Set beside the Yarra River, Oscar’s has been Ariarne’s peaceful base for the season, giving her a beautiful country backdrop as she introduces each journey and helps bring the stories together.
It is a fitting place to pause as the Tasmania leg reaches the Central Highlands, linking the road, the presenters and the wider What’s Up Downunder adventure.
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Oscar’s on the Yarra
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