Canned Heat sang about going up the country but canned sardines was on my mind as our little hired campervan braced itself against the pelting rain for a weekend up north. Not a seasoned camper, my accommodation of choice rarely required crockery to have seatbelts or a bed to be assembled after dinner, for the simple reason that you were eating your dinner on it beforehand.
With interstate borders at the time of writing more like militarised zones than Instagram snapshots, holidays at home became the new destination during this year of covid. Holiday plans were more about a fair fling rather than something far-flung. In Tasmania we packed up the vehicles that could be packed up, towed or slept in, and drove our way around the island instead. For those who had done it before, a novelty holiday was to do it again in the other direction.
Hiring a campervan or caravan for a holiday can provide opportunities to see locations and landscapes not possible with the standard hotel and airport itinerary. The ability to be outdoors seems more pertinent this year with the bonus of being able to fry your eggs from your bed whilst reverse parking at the same time.
Our trip took us up to the tip of Devonport where we arrived at the Mersey Bluff Caravan and Camping Park. We were met with a welcoming reception by a man in a serious pair of shorts who showed us our choice of parking bays. From most of the allotted spaces you had a view of the Mersey Bluff and beach-front boardwalk. We parked our little van in between two empty spaces perched high enough to see water but not high enough to be rolled into blue ocean, the high winds reminding us that we were looking directly at Bass Strait.
As the evening loomed, we saw the routine and ritual of the new camping arrivals. Like wildlife appearing at dusk, campers emerge in a choreographed sunset routine to assemble an annex, place a folded chair, ignite a grill, or refill an empty glass. And soon our thoughts turned to dinner.
I thought a caravan park within walking distance of an excellent restaurant would be as likely as finding a Tasmanian tiger sitting in your folded outdoor chair eating your cheese and biscuits. It turns out that this is not the case.
The Mersey Bluff Caravan Park at Devonport didn’t have a tiger but it did have a nearby Mrs Jones. And cheese and biscuits weren’t on the menu. Neither was the opportunity to meet Mrs Jones. The restaurant name was just a favourite of the owners and didn’t relate to anyone from a Jones family. However, we were informed that there was a Mrs Jones in relation to the history of the Devonport Surf Life Saving Club which goes back to the 1920s. Whoever she was, I’m sure she would approve of this now sleek and functional refurbished bluff precinct.
The Mrs Jones restaurant, bar and lounge is upstairs in this modern, architecturally designed building which has spectacular views over the water including outdoor seating for when it’s not blowing a gale. Floor to ceiling windows on one side of the building and light timber interiors make for a plush restaurant setting with soft carpets, leathers chairs and solid tables on casters. The long timber bar is warm and inviting with the efficiently quiet workings of the open kitchen behind lit up behind it.
The service comes naturally and professionally. Our glasses were filled from a decent selection of Tasmanian offerings including the aromatic, rose-infused Three Cuts Gin. It was pleasing this year to see the local distillers still churning out unique and great gins, given that many swung production capacity over to hand sanitisers just to stay afloat.
The menu at Mrs Jones is Asian-inspired influence, but with many clever options to distract you. Our starters included tempura prawn rice paper wrapped rolls with ginger, avocado and orange dipping sauce, which was delicate and fresh, and a quail “Kiev” that came with garlic yoghurt, pomegranate glaze, herb oil and sumac.
This was no pub style Kiev; this was far more sophisticated. The meat had been boned out, packed with flavour, cut into rounds then crumbed and fried to go with the yoghurt sauce. Superb.
Our mains were equally good with pork belly for me and a beef and reef style dish for Mr Bowers: eye fillet, potato puree, beans, garlic prawns and a shellfish bisque sauce, which he proclaimed “stunning”.
With not much more eating capacity we opted for a shared dessert of a very delicate and softly baked cheesecake with thinly sliced poached pear, pistachio praline and brandy snap served with good vanilla ice cream.
We slowly took our satisfied selves back to our little van and tucked into bed for the night as I listened to the wind and the waves of the not-so-distant Bass Strait. As I drifted off I expected to hear the sound of hushed voices, of the clunking of oars on just landed row boats under torchlight making their way from exile across the border. That never happened but I did sleep well.
Mersey Bluff Caravan Park
41 Bluff Road
Devonport, TAS 7310
Ph: 03 6424 8655
Mrs Jones
Upper level
35–39 Bluff Rd
Devonport TAS 7190
Ph: 03 6423 3881
Louise Bowers and Mr Bowers left their Melbourne suburban bayside existence in 2014 and replaced it with a small Tasmanian farm. As a food lover, Louise happily discovered that Tasmanians travel meters rather than miles between quality produce outlits. She loves food made from simple and nearby ingredients, along with the change to talk to the people who grow, produce, cook or nurture it. More of Louise Bowers' writing can be ween on her blog, firstimefarmer.blogspot.com.au.
