Glamping In Tasmania at Truffle Lodge

What better way to experience Tasmania than indulging in a night of luxury glamping in a quiet spot along the River Derwent in the Tasmanian countryside?

Recently we were looking for somewhere special to celebrate our eleventh anniversary. Since we’ve been working flat out on the van lately, we really wanted it to be somewhere where we could actually stop and relax for a moment. A little bit of peace and quiet to take a breath, unwind together and take a moment to appreciate how far we have come over the last eleven years together.

And we found the perfect place at Truffle Lodge.

Located about an hour out of Hobart in the small country town of Gretna, there’s really not a lot around Truffle Lodge. Which is exactly what you want when you come to visit the region.

It’s sitting in a valley, with glamping tents that look straight onto the river and everything about the property is just beautifully peaceful. It’s quiet and calm and with only eight tents on the property, you don’t have to share this amazing location with many other people while you visit.

From the minute we arrived at Truffle Lodge it really felt like we were right at home. There were only two other couples staying at the same time as us, so it really felt like we had the whole place just to ourselves!

We were greeted when we arrived by John, the owner of the property, who showed us around the communal areas and gave us a little bit of history about the lodge and the Derwent Valley region, before showing us to our tent home for the night.

OH MY GOD, it was amazing.

The tents

Honestly, this might just be the most incredible glamping property we have stayed at so far. The tents were absolutely huge, with a large king bed sitting right in the centre of the room surrounded by a lounge area with couches and tables and even a little desk nook, with stunning decorative pieces that pulled the whole room together.

Behind the bed there was a massive wardrobe, before a stunning bathroom that had been designed inside a water tank connected to the back of the tent. The tents were extraordinary, with not one detail overlooked, from the throw blankets for a little extra warmth to the Truffle Lodge branded drink bottles on the bed side.

We were blown away, it was just incredible.

We were told to make sure we always zipped up our tent when we left, especially at night, because sometimes local wildlife might like to come in and make themselves at home. In fact, only a couple of weeks before our stay a journalist from The Australian had woken up at 5am to find a cheeky Tasmanian Devil curled up under her couch.

Well, that’s not really the right story to tell someone who loves a wildlife encounter is it?! We both immediately had the thought that a Tassie devil sneaking into our room might actually be quite exciting! Maybe we should leave our tent open a little and see if anyone comes to visit…

How To Spend 24 Hours In Hobart

In fact, lots of different wildlife consider Truffle Lodge their home. If you’re lucky you might get to see wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian devils, kookaburras or even platypus around the property. There are often platypus splashing around in the river right in front of the lodge, in fact, this is one of the best places in Australia to see them in the wild.

There is a nice small deck sitting along the river, perfectly set up for two people to enjoy a wine or beer as the sun goes down, where the platypus can often be spotted swimming around the reeds and shallow water. We were not lucky during or stay though unfortunately, and after about an hour of watching alongside the river we decided to call it a day on the platypus spotting as it began to get too cold.

We returned to the main lodge to refill our drinks and warm up on front of the fire. And then in a decision that shocked even myself, we began an epic attempt to start a 1000 piece puzzle.

For two people that have literally not had a minute to relax in about 6 months, it was amazing how quickly we sunk into the opportunity at Truffle Lodge. There was minimal phone reception, no TV or entertainment in the background, and for a couple of hours we just worked on this puzzle, with a level of calmness and concentration that I didn’t even think we had anymore.

It was so lovely not to be multitasking, thinking about anything else, or watching the clock before we had to rush off somewhere else. The lodges belief of slow living absolutely sunk in and we couldn’t have been more relaxed.

Exploring Freycinet National Park

bar at truffle lodge

All meals were included in our stay, which meant we didn’t have to worry about where or what we were going to eat for dinner. Instead, we were served a delicious roast dinner at a communal dining table, as we got to know our neighbours for the evening.

We were joined for dinner by a couple from Melbourne who had come to Tasmania for their daughters wedding at MONA and were now having a bit of a holiday before returning to Victoria, and a couple from Sydney who had actually visited Truffle Lodge about 6 months earlier, and who had loved it so much they were back for another visit.

Time absolutely got away from us we chatted together, dessert was served and cleared (and it was an incredible mouth watering chocolate brownie with a rich chocolate filling served with ice-cream) and before we knew it, it was 11pm when we returned to our tent for the evening.

truffle lodge glamping

We kept our eyes peeled for wildlife as we made our way back to our tent for the evening (fingers firmly crossed for a wombat sighting), but the grounds were completely quiet. Unfortunately no Tassie devils hiding anywhere around our little spot. Our tent was kept nice and warm by the gas fire heater, as well as electric blankets heating up our bed.

Which by the way, was just insanely comfortable, never wanted to leave that bed! And we woke up after a great sleep, ready to take on another day of exploring Tasmania.

We absolutely couldn’t recommend Truffle Lodge any more highly. From the amazing attention to detail, to the fantastic customer service and every little feature of the lodge, it was just the perfect place to unwind and get some rest and relaxation when we really needed it the most!

We only had the time to stay for one night, but we would definitely recommend checking in for at least two nights to give yourself some time to explore the still mostly under the radar Derwent Valley region, as well as to completely relax and let your mind have some peace!

Planning Your Self Drive Tasmania Holiday

kookaburra at truffle lodge

Details about Truffle Lodge

Address: 3411 Lyell Highway, Gretna

Phone: 0417 996 305

Rates: The total price to stay at Truffle Lodge starts from $395 per night, but does vary depending on the package and dates you choose for your stay. If you make your booking directly through the Truffle Lodge website the rates also include breakfast and dinner in their price, as well as complimentary activities during your stay.

Truffle Lodge is also TV free, which gives you a great excuse to really connect with the world around you.

Connectivity: There is mobile reception and wifi available in the lodge and communal areas, but reception is limited in the tents. Take the opportunity to unplug and disconnect from your busy life.

Find out more and book your stay now at trufflelodge.com.

Thank you to Truffle Lodge and Impressions Marketing Communications for hosting our glamping experience at Truffle Lodge. All opinions are, as always, our own.

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