In this day and age, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to escape to a place that feels like a true retreat from the world. It’s rarer still to find such a retreat that walks the line between comfort, adventure and solitude. Whale Song Shack is one of these special few. 

Located 3 hours north of Hobart and 1 hour 45 minutes from Launceston, Whale Song Shack is perched on the Tasman Sea in the little town of Falmouth. While its location isn’t exactly central, the road trip is part of the adventure – and a highlight of the trip itself. The property is a bang-on renovation of an old seaside holiday home, leaning heavily on the oceanic inspiration in equal doses of kitsch, modern style and rustic charm. From the sweet little single-bed ‘artist’s room’ featuring watercolours and sketches taped to the wall alongside works from legit Australian artists (Paul McNeill, anyone?); to the sunken lounge room offering up uninterrupted views across the ocean, Whale Song Shack is a special place. 

Upon check in, it’s an issue in itself trying to decide what to do next. Sip a (complimentary) gin and tonic on the deck? Pop yourself down in one of the ridiculously comfy lounges and crack open a book? Both? 

The house was so lovely that despite all the places to explore surrounding Falmouth, we just wanted to soak it all in. As someone that has stayed in many (many) Airbnbs and used to run one myself, the amount of thoughtful details that await guests is astounding. From herbal teas – meaning my evening peppermint tea habit remained uninterrupted – to a selection of records available to spin on the record player, there was no detail left to consider.

If you’re a coffee drinker like me, Whale Song is equipped with more than enough coffee-brewing contraptions. While there were the more conventional French press and Nespresso machines available, I discovered and was quickly enamoured with the Bialetti Mini, a pint-sized brewing contraption that I will definitely be purchasing for my own house. 

A 30 minute drive away from Whale Song is the township of St Helens, which is a great place to pick up supplies. Swims Coffee at Scamander, just around the corner, has been on my ‘to visit’ list forever but it was unfortunately not open on the days we were visiting. Aside from the IGA and bottle shop, East Coast Village Providore was our go-to: great coffee, preserves, deli goods and quality meats. We grabbed snags as I was hell bent on cooking something (anything!) over the fire. Just a few kilometres up the road from St Helens is Lease 65, an oyster farm selling direct-to-public oysters. The perfect accompaniment to the kindly included sparkling, from Spring Vale Vineyard. Sipping a glass of bubbles and chowing down on a plate of the Pacific’s finest is a quintessentially Tassie experience and doing so with an expansive ocean vista in front of you is just about as good as it gets. 

Speaking of as good as it gets, have you ever enjoyed your morning cuppa in an outdoor bath? A cleverly designed bath-and-shower nook on the deck allows for soaking and sipping in the sunshine, which – I did not test this, but I have a strong hunch – would also be a treat at sunset with a glass of red. Perhaps a Tasmanian pinot noir? 

When not sitting back and relaxing, there’s plenty to explore north of Whale Song too. One glorious spring day we spent at the Bay of Fires, just an hour up the road. Pictures really don’t do this place justice (perhaps something I shouldn’t say as a travel photographer) – the clearest blue water, little shacks perched on the shoreline and those vibrant tangerine-hued rocks dotting the white sand. While the sun was shining, a cold water dip proved extremely refreshing – even in November. 

After a day exploring, we ventured back to Whale Song and got the outdoor fire started. Sipping a few Harbourmaster Ales during the process, we eventually got the fire down to a point that the coals were glowing and it was time to have a go at some snags. Inspired by the Sarah Glover cookbook provided in the (extremely well stocked) kitchen, I had originally set out with far more difficult aspirations, but then holiday laziness took over and I settled for the most basic of Aussie dinners: snags. As it turns out, this ‘wild’ cooking thing is harder than it looks. Nevertheless, blackened snags are still delicious when enjoyed in a beautiful place with good company – and there were toasted marshmallows for dessert, of course.  

As I mentioned earlier, the drive up (or across, but for the purposes of recommendations based on something I actually did, let’s say up), Tassie’s east coast is an adventure in itself. The entire coastline is dotted with wineries, hikes and sweet little coastal towns. On our way back down south, we stopped for fish & chips under the watchful eyes of the resident tabby cat at the Lobster Shack in Bicheno. About an hour south of Whalesong is Freycinet, which features the iconic Wineglass Bay lookout. Learn from my mistakes and plan ahead instead of spontaneously doing one of these walks and wearing jeans – gross and sweaty, but still beautiful. A town I can’t help but come back to again and again is Swansea, which offers up the mirror-view of the Freycinet coastline and tiny little peeling waves if you’re lucky. 

While this risks sounding trite, my one criticism – if you could call it that – of Whale Song Shack is that I really think you need a minimum of three nights to really soak it up. For a fairly modestly-sized house, it is packed with so many things to ‘do’ (and I use that term loosely), even we didn’t get around to everything. From wandering on the rocky shoreline, sinking into the lounge with a good book – of which there are plenty provided – to just enjoying a sleep in with nowhere to be, it’s hard to fit it all in. While there are many places to visit in Tasmania, and even more places to stay, Whale Song is one of those special places that you just want to go back to again and again.