Tarraleah Estate

Tarraleah is an accommodation estate plumb in the middle of Tasmania, unconnected to any town or settlement.. It is a settlement in its own right, a leftover town from the establishment of the hydroelectric scheme in the region, in the early to mid 20th century. Its history is well worth Googling, as it is really interesting. It offers a wide range of accommodation options, from the grand lodge, through cottages, tiny houses, and cabins. We chose a cabin, and were really pleased with our choice. Yes, it doesn't look like much from the outside, a bit grim, to be honest. Inside, it was roomy, well equipped, with a large bathroom, a big bed with lots of space around it, and a good kitchen. We ate at the restaurant, which was fine, and repaired to our cabin for an early night a bit of TV. Sadly, the TV said 'no signal', and as the estate is without wifi or phone reception for Optus users, the advice to call a mobile number with any problems was totally not much help! Checkin and checkout are person-free, so there wasn't anyone around to talk to. However, we were more than pleased with our overnight stay in such an interesting place, and would recommend it. There are no shops for 30km, so you have to be prepared when you arrive, with breakfast provisions etc.

We arrived expecting a humble workers cottage but were amazed to discover a sensitively restored original Art Deco home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, full kitchen, authentic period furniture and a log fire with a whole woodshed full of logs! We had two nights here and it rained the whole time, but what did we care? We just rested, did the laundry and explored the house! This was the Electrical Engineer's home so there was also an abundance of power points!

We decided an overnight stop here would be a welcome respite between Strahan and Rosetta and allow us to visit various attractions on route. Keys and map of estate packaged and available on arrival, sighted no personnel until dinner was delivered to our room. The cabin was well located on the estate, good ablution area, comfortable bed, table & chairs, TVs in both kitchen/dining and bedroom. Overall somewhat cramped but very functional, I guess not all visitors have 2 suitcases and other baggage. No wardrobe facility. We were aware when booking that we would be without internet access and wifi for the duration. I am rating as 4* as while the ducks may be very friendly, someone needs to high pressure wash the crap from the paths and verandas so that guests do not have to tiptoe through their deposits.