Deloraine, a lovely quaint town of 2500 people, , first explored by Capt. John Rolland, under instruction from Lt Gov. Sorell. It has some magnificent old buildings with a lot of history attached to them. The picturesque Meander River flows around the outskirt of the town, as you drive past you may see the enthusiastic fishermen trying their luck with catching rainbow or brown trout.

It is the largest inland Town in Tasmania . The vibrant shopping centre is always busy with a large supermarket and many speciality stores. The Town has four pubs/hotels; the British called the top Pub Ph.63622016, the Empire called the middle Pub 63622075, the Deloraine Hotel (http://www.delorainehotel.com.au/) called the bottom Pub and last but not least there is the Bush Inn Ph. 63622365, all serving meals and some have budget accommodation. For the people who like to stay in town there are some B&B's and a large motel Mountain View Country Inn (http://www.mountainviewcountryinn.com.au) with its lovely Restaurant "Settlers Inn". The main street of Deloraine is reminiscent of a small European town with the never ceasing movement of visitors and friendly, helpful locals.

There are several small cafes with outside seating for a relaxing cup of coffee. Snacks can also be bought, whether it is sweet or savoury like the popular locally produced spring rolls from Gourmet Tasmanian Spring Rolls ( http://www.gourmettasspringrolls.com/ ) Ph 03 63623919. The area is renown for its gourmet products like the speciality cheeses at Ashgrove Cheese (http://ashgrovecheese.com.au), smoked salmon and Korean ginseng from 41 Degree South (www.41south-aquaculture.com/) , Black Forest Smallgoods (http://www.blackforestsmallgoods.com.au/), speciality ice-cream at Christmas Hill Raspberry Farm (http://www.raspberryfarmcafe.com/) , Chocolate at the House of Anvers (http://www.anvers-chocolate.com.au) at Latrobe. Honey, truffles (http://www.tastruffles.com.au/), speciality fruit wines (http://www.tasfruitwine.com) and organic produce which include milk, yoghurt and cheeses by the Gretschmanns (http://www.elgaarfarm.com.au/) , vegetables, apples at Parramatta (http://www.bellamysorganic.com.au/). The etc, Elizabeth Town Bakery-Café (http://www.etcbakery.com) in Elizabeth Town is a good place to have a cuppa.

Deloraine is also renown for its art culture with the main attraction having been created by more than 300 people over a period of 21 month, the Locals call it Yarns a Creation in Silk (http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/history/Transcripts/s1231974.htm). There is the Sculpture-Trail with 33 sculptures through town and along the river, the trail starts at the towns Visitors Centre, for more information contact the visitors centre on: (Ph. 61363623471 or E-mail gwtvc@tasvisinfo.com.au )

There are also several galleries with paintings, photographs, woodwork, glasswork and antiques.

The region around Deloraine is fertile pasture used by dairy farmers. In spring you can see the beautiful colours of the cultivated poppies in bloom contributing to the growth of the area, also the crops of potatoes, onions, and carrots are significant for the economy of the district. However, large tracts of land are still natural forest, or timber plantations of Eucalypts or Pines, which complements the landscape.

The terrain varies from flat to gently undulating; it is beautifully framed by the Great Western Tiers known by the Aboriginal name of Kooparoona Niara meaning "Mountains of the Spirits". The Quamby Bluff is the foremost mountain and also the most dominant. There are many things to do in the Great Western Tiers.

There is Bushwalking from ½ hour easy walks, to walks that last up to 3 days:

• Banks of the Meander River 30 min walk;
• Historical Deloraine walk, starts at the Information Centre;
• Liffey Falls approx. ½ hour walk;
• Trapper's Hut approx. 1-hour return;
• Devil's Gullet Lookout approx. 20min return. (Allow 45min drive each way);
• Marakoopa Fern Glade approx. 20min return;
• The Alum Cliffs Approx. 40min return. ( Please take care especially with children, when nearing the end of this track, as a barrier does not protect the cliffs. );
• Meander Falls 6 hr return;
• Quamby Bluff approx 6 hr. walk and
• Lake Rowallen & start of Walls of Jerusalem Walk is an overnight Adventure of 2 to 3 Days.

For longer walks Safety Guidelines must be followed and should only be attempted by experienced walkers, as weather conditions can change rapidly, even in summer. Always report your Departure, Destination and Return to a responsible person.

For those not attracted to bushwalking there is golf at the Deloraine Golf Club or you may be interested in horse riding (http://www.cradleadventures.com.au ), which is in Kimberly. For those interested in wildlife, you may want to visit the Wildlife Park (http://www.trowunna.com.au) near Mole Creek; also near Mole Creek is the spectacular Solomon's Cave and Marakoopa Cave (http://www.dtpha.tas.gov.au . You may even choose to visit the working honey factory (http://www.leatherwoodhoney.com.au/) in Mole Creek for tasting or purchase. In Chudleigh you can visit yet another honey farm, with over 50 different varieties of honey and the culinary delights of Leatherwood honey ice cream, there is also a working beehive behind glass view at (http://www.thehoneyfarm.com.au) , or you can book an aboriginal tour with Jahadi, this includes smoke ceremony, spear throwing and other aboriginal activities. For bookings ph. 61 3 63636172 or email: jahadi@hotkey.net.au see more www.jahadi.com.au ask Hank or Carol for some real Aboriginal Tucker.

At Westwood you have Launceston Lake for trout fishing or you can hire a buggy for half / hour rides. At Prospect there is the Casino (http://www.countryclubtasmania.com.au/) with its many facilities or you can visit the Harley Davidson Museum . Hadspen is home to Entally House (http://www.yorkmansions.com.au/Attractions/entally_house.htm) a National Trust property.

Westbury boasts Perns Steamworld, a collection of working steam engines, Westbury maze 03 63931840 is also a worthwhile establishment especially for kids, they love to get lost in it. You can also visit the White House another national trust property with a working bake house, or you may like the magnificent photographs at John Temple Gallery (www.johntemplegallery.com.au). For ice cream lovers Andys is the place www.andystasmania.com winning ' Australia 's Best Ice Cream' award for its hazelnut gelato. If you would like to spend a night or two of your holiday relaxing in luxury, then consider staying in Westbury at www.elmwoodclassicbedandbreakfast.com.au . This beautiful new property is on the historic Village Green just a stroll away from the White House.

Still with Deloraine as your base stay, it is only one-hour drive to my favourite spot Great Lake, what a good spot for fishing or a picnic. Cradle Mountain is only 1&1/2 to 2 hr. away, on the way back you can visit Sheffield the town of murals.

The wall of Jerusalem is another worthwhile destination with its rugged beauty; also the Aluminium Cliffs or the Devils Gullet should not be missed. Launceston is 45 minutes away, it has many restaurants, parks, beautiful old buildings, Museum, the Gorge, Penny Royal, the Auto Museum and more. You can be in Devonport in 35 minutes with its awesome beach. It is the berthing place of our 2 Tasmanian ferries, SPIRIT 1 and 2. Don't forget the HOUSE of ANVERS, a must for chocolate lovers

At different times of the year we have different Festivals in northern Tasmania with Agfest at Carrick, Deloraine Art & Craft Fair, Deloraine Steeplechase, Deloraine Agriculture show, Royal Launceston and Devonport shows, Festival with Gourmet foods at Launceston Park, Mural Fest at Sheffield, and world famous Targa, with Quamby Brook being stage 2 of the race.

For more specific information visit the website www.greatwesterntiers.org.au, E-mail gwtvc@tasvisinfo.com.au or E-mail me at info@quambypines.com.au.