Why is the Huon Valley the best place to live in Tasmania, if not all of Australia?
Ask someone from the Huon Valley if they love where they live and they will tell you they wouldn’t live anywhere else. Especially those that have lived the beginning of their lives in cities from the mainland of Australia or overseas and have followed a path here for a tree or sea change.
The Huon Valley provides everything you love about Tasmania, green grass, forest, rich pastures, seasons, wilderness, wildlife – only 30 minutes drive from Tasmania’s capital city of Hobart.
Here are 18 great reasons why we think the Huon Valley is the best place to live in Tasmania.
Why is the Huon Valley Such a Great Place to Live?
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Grow and buy amazing produce straight from the source
The Huon Valley has an amazing community of growers of produce but also home vegetable and fruit gardeners who are happy to share their bountiful excess in a farmgate stall for very affordable prices!
If you prefer you can always drop into one of the many local produce markets on the weekend!
Stunning views
Locals are spoilt for views wherever they go. At home, driving to work, to the shops, while they ride, walk or run! There really isn’t a shortage and they love to share their views on Instagram. If you want proof, visit our Huon Valley Instagram page @huonvalleytas
Teaming with native wildlife
Tasmania is known for its plentiful and unique range of native wildlife. The Huon Valley certainly shares that in amazing quantities.
- Most locals will spot a Wedge Tailed Eagle flying overhead on a daily basis.
- You only have to walk out the door at night to find yourself a Tasmanian Padelmon or Bennets Wallaby.
- If you have a dam it is most likely you have at least one Platypus residing in there, and if it’s a big one possibly a whole family!
- Most of us have a resident possum that comes to visit to see if we’ve left the garden gate or rubbish bin lid open.
- Tasmanian Devils are definitely out and about in the Huon Valley, along with Eastern quolls and spotted-tail quolls.
- Echidnas can be seen on roadsides, along bushwalks, and dotted in paddocks hunting down ants.
- Although a little more elusive, you will also find Wombats, Eastern Pygmy Possums, Bats, Bettong, and Eastern barred bandicoots.
- The Huon Valley has a large array of birds, ranging from Birds of Prey including Owls, Seabirds, Wrens, Swans, Ducks, Parrots, Cockatoos, Plovers, Ravens, and lots more!
Parks & Wildlife are a great source of information on Tasmanian Wildlife and birds.
Reflective Huon River
The Huon River is straight down the hills from Tasmania’s World Heritage South West Wilderness Area. Full of tannins from the buttongrass planes it gives it the most reflective surface that will stop you in your tracks to pull out the mobile for that perfect picture.
Stunning mountains and waterways
The Huon Valley has beautiful rolling hills, stunning waterways, and an iconic mountain or two. All of these complement each other to make the most visually pleasing environment to be in. Sleeping Beauty is a locals favourite, along with Adamsons Peak seen from Dover. Hartz Mountain is also highly visible from most areas.
Seasons
The Huon Valley enjoys the full array of seasons, all with their own marvelous benefits and features. Autumn brings some most stunning arrays of colours across the forest and in the cottages gardens of the Huon locals.
Winter in the Huon brings spatterings of snow, some heavier than others, particularly if you live above 500m. If your property doesn’t feature snow it’s not far to drive to find some. Hartz Mountain National Park and Mount Wellington Range are great places to visit to get a snow experience. It’s not unusual every so often to get snow down to sea level which is celebrated all around with a ‘snow day’.
Spring is also equally as impressive with beautiful flowering cottage gardens and orchards right across the valley. Summer is a great time to get out on the water fishing, kayaking, yachting and even in the water swimming and snorkeling.
Wonderful friendly community
The Huon Valley community is full of friendly and enthusiastic locals all looking to achieve their own idyllic lifestyles, happy to help out a neighbour and friend. The Huon Valley Council has documented this wonderfully as part of their Huon Beings video series.
Easy access to wilderness
Like the idea of being able to escape to the wilderness for a few days anytime you feel the need? Well we have wilderness in spades! And some of it is World Heritage-listed! The Southwest National Park is accessible from a number of locations within the Huon Valley, as well as the Mount Wellington Range.
Truth is Tasmania has lots and lots of wilderness and you really don’t have to drive and walk far to find it. Some people even manage to buy their own bit of wilderness on their property.
Strong bush walking and hiking community
Their is no shortage of hiking tracks in Tasmania and the Huon Valley and you find a large percentage of locals partake on a very regular basis. It won’t be hard to get a locals tip or even a friend for a walk. A great locally used walking website is Tas Trails – www.tastrails.com
Affordable acerage with stunning valley and water views
No doubt you have worked out that property prices are more affordable than most capital cities and states of Australia. With the value of the property you’re in now you can probably get a few acres or a spot by the water in Tasmania and the Huon Valley.
Their are 3 main Real Estate Agents in the Huon Valley:
Thriving artistic community
We have alot of talented and varying artists here in the Huon Valley! Is it any wonder with such a stunning and awe inspiring environment to live in.
The Huon Valley Council put together a great video as part of the Huon Beings video series which takes about why they live here and the benefits that living in a rural lifestyle has on their creativity.
They have also interviewed a couple of individual artists such as Phoenix Creations to get their personal stories of how they came to be in the Huon Valley and their craft.
Great place to work from home
How important is it for you to have a good view out the window when your working? Or better still the ability to sit on the veranda and be inspired by the outside vistas? Imagine being able to walk out into on your lunch break, or maybe you can pick some lunch fresh from your own garden on the way past the chicken coop where you found a freshly laid egg.
The best place to live in Tasmania that’s close to Hobart… but not IN Hobart
The Huon Valley is only 30-40 minutes drive from Tasmania’s capital city of Hobart!! This means that a commute to work in Hobart would be easy, and oh my the views along the way are amazing. Its also not far from some of Hobart’s top events and nightlife. Yet another reason the Huon Valley is the best place to live in Tasmania.
Unique and wonderful local events
The Huon Valley is well known for its annual 3 days musical event, the Cygnet Folk Festival. People come from the world over to play and see the amazing program.
We are also home to a pretty special and unique Winter Festival called the Huon Valley Mid-winter Festival.
Quality locally made and grown cider
The Huon Valley is Tasmania’s biggest and oldest apple-growing region which has naturally progressed to being one of the best areas making craft cider arguably in Australia. We have a growing list of cider producers including:
Cool Climate wine growers
The Huon Valley is home to a number of award winning cool climate winemakers.
Food from the source
There is a large array of small and large innovative and quality food producers in the Huon Valley. Some as large and well-known brands such as Huon Salmon as well as some small boutique products such as Boks Bacon.
Some of our other marvelous local small producers many of which are members of the Huon Producers Network
The best place to live in Tasmania and have your own farm animals
The average Huon Valley local has acreage and they most definitely have their own chickens. In addition to this, you will find scattered across paddocks horses, ponies, alpaca, cows…especially those hairy ones and a goat or two. You only have to follow the #huonvalley hashtag on Instagram or even our @huonvalleytas page to get some insight into their wonderful furry friends!
