Lauderdale,
slowly

Below The Salt House. Your private entry into Frederick Henry Bay — flat, clear and usually all yours.

The long curve of the bay. Morning walks, afternoon swims, dogs on the lead end.

Ten minutes away. A huge, open arc of sand with the point at the far end.

A quiet corner around the point — calm water and rock pools at low tide.

The big one. Start at Cremorne and walk the coast to Seven Mile — about 13.5 km of hills, beaches and views. The main legs: Cremorne to Mays Beach 4.5 km (no dogs through Calverts Hill reserve), Mays Beach to Lauderdale a short kilometre, then Lauderdale to Seven Mile another 6 km. It goes straight past our front door — swim stops all the way.

Drive up kunanyi for the view from the top, but stop halfway and find the Octopus Tree — an easy 1 km return off the Shoobridge Track, at the last hairpin before the Springs. An enormous old eucalypt standing on bare roots wrapped around a giant boulder like tentacles. As the ground around it washed away over centuries, the tree just held on tighter — now it grips the rock. Half an hour, all ages.

From the Springs, climb beneath kunanyi's famous dolerite cliffs — pillars up to 120 m tall, one of Hobart's great landmarks. 7.4 km return and worth every step; the track ends at the old stone Chalet.

The best short walk on the eastern shore — an easy 2 km loop with the Tasman Bridge, the Derwent and the mountain all in one view. Twenty minutes from The Salt House, perfect at sunset.

The wild southern ocean, properly. Pennicott's yellow boats run three hours of open water out of Pirates Bay at Eaglehawk Neck — an easy run down the highway from The Salt House. Rug up in the red jackets they hand out and hold on; this is an adventure cruise, not a slow drift.

The highest vertical sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere at Cape Pillar — the boat sits right beneath them, close enough to hear the water heave at the base.

Deep-sea caves, waterfalls and the great dolerite towers — Cathedral Rock, the Totem Pole, the Candlestick — glided in and out of at wave height.

Hundreds of seals hauled up on the rocks, dolphins surfing the bow wave, whales moving through on their migration, and albatross and diving gannets wheeling on the wind.

The turn-around: the island's historic lighthouse standing alone on the wild southern edge, and a flat calm crossing home past Port Arthur.

Rather skip the wheel? A full-day version picks up from Hobart, rolls down the coast and still gets you on the water by mid-morning.

Lauderdale. The kind of place that remembers your name — coffee in the morning, martini as the bay turns silver.

A cool container cafe ten minutes down the road to Seven Mile Beach.

In Rokeby, just over the hill — great coffee and pastries.

Lauderdale. The local anchor — coffee in the morning, martini as the bay turns silver, dinner done properly.

Bellerive. Local pizza, done the way it should be.

Bellerive as well — the locals' other favourite pie.

Lauderdale. All-day brunch, small plates and hand-stretched sourdough wood-fired pizza (Friday nights only), dog friendly with alfresco dining by the sea.

Lauderdale. Asian fusion by the beachside road — fried rice, noodles, dumplings and gua bao.