Derwent Retreat

When it comes to cooking, Derwent Retreat has a stove and hot plates, a microwave oven, a refrigerator and a supply of crockery, tea and coffee. Laundry can be done in the washing machine and the dryer, and in addition to underfloor heating, there are a few stand-alone heaters which you can switch on for extra warmth in the colder months.

There is a dining table with chairs, and a more relaxing set of furniture to lounge around on. Practically every room in Derwent Retreat has a view of the river, and there is a lobby area just by the entrance, with a couple of carpeted steps up to reach the rest of the interior. Free wireless and wired internet, a computer and desk, a television with a DVD player, a stereo, some CDs and a book-swap library are at your disposal, as is the barbecue set outside in the paved area, a great place for al-fresco dining among the natural rock features, as well as practising your shots with the basketball hoop.

Your hosts have provided some fishing equipment if you are into angling, and with prior notification you may borrow some bicycles, canoes or sailboards if nobody else has them out at the time, also GPS equipment. Pets may stay in the fenced yard area but they are not permitted inside the house itself, which is also a non-smoking property. In the event that you need to make a local call, a telephone has been installed.

While you could stay here for an eternity admiring the panoramic view that stretches from Mount Wellington to Mount Direction, the retreat is close enough to Hobart to be an excellent base for business or leisure travellers. There is a supermarket a kilometre from where you are staying, and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is under ten minutes by car, while the nearby Brooker Highway puts you on the road to the rest of Tasmania without weaving around side roads. A golf club and a bowls club are a couple of kilometres away, and you are in a good place for visiting the historic town of Richmond and the natural beauty of Russell Falls.