Distance to Launceston: 28 kilometres

(Click here to see location map - F4)

Lilydale (pop: 288), formerly known as Germantown, was named after the Christmas lilies once prolific in the area. It’s a friendly, rural town en route to the Pipers River/Pipers Brook wineries and North East touring route, with strong apple producing, dairying and sawmill heritage. It’s nestled amongst rolling hills at the foothills of Mount Arthur (1187m), and is a hub to the nearby communities of Lalla, Underwood, Nabowla, Karoola and Lebrina.

Lilydale has a bakery and café, well-stocked antiques emporium, old-fashioned lolly shop, post office (also the local real estate agent), Bardenhagens Supermarket, one of the last true general stores where you can get most items (including seasonal Tasmanian produce), and Bardenhagen’s Hardware Store and Service Station  (check out the collection of old tools and farm implements or just get your digital photos printed).

In Lilydale you can also find one of the best quilting shops in the country (it’s in the address book of many a serious quilter). Lovers of arts and crafts, will also find Rynne Tanton, one of the state’s renowned potters, at his open studio at nearby Underwood, local art on display at the Apple Shed and Green Gate galleries in Lalla, and the Lilydale School of Arts offering art classes for children and adults.

Lilydale has always been a favourite place for day-trippers from Launceston, dating back as far as the 1920s. The train from Launceston stopped at Lilydale Falls where there was a nearby kiosk for picnickers. The Falls remains a beautiful spot to view the forest as well as Pipers River, especially after recent rainfalls. But if soft adventure is more your style, there’s Treetops Adventure, Australia’s first continuous cable tree top tour, located just up the road at Hollybank.

Enjoy a picnic at the historic Forestry Tasmania Reserve here, or head on to a sumptuous wine tasting at one of the region’s iconic Tasmanian wineries, including Providence, Jansz (great cheese platters and a pantry stocked with local cheeses and produce), or Bay of Fires winery. Stop for lunch at Pipers Brook Vineyard, where there’s an excellent café-restaurant, or have a light lunch at Bridestowe Lavender Farm, Nabowla. First established in North Lilydale in the 1920s, it’s one of the world's largest single commercial lavender farms and has made Tasmania famous worldwide for its lavender.