Guests at Stillwater Seven receive freshly baked croissants delivered to their door each morning. Photo / Carolyn Beasley
Guests at Stillwater Seven receive freshly baked croissants delivered to their door each morning. Photo / Carolyn Beasley
In Tasmania, Stillwater Seven is situated in an old flour mill dating to the 1840s. It has always been an icon of Launceston’s dining scene and is considered one of the best in Tassie, with luxury accommodation to boot, writes Carolyn Beasley
At the time of his death in 1920, David Ritchie, aged almost 91, was one of the oldest people in northern Tasmania. During his life in Launceston, Tasmania’s second-largest city, he was a churchwarden, a co-founder of the Working Men’s Club, and a magistrate. But his main claim to fame was his role as a flour mill owner.
A milling history
Launceston’s Cornwall Chronicle newspaper reported in June 1870 of Ritchie’s expansion into Launceston, following a fire that destroyed another of his mills nearby.
“From the completeness of his new steam mills and the high stand his flour and oatmeal have always maintained in the market, we have no doubt he will soon retrieve his loss and be well rewarded for his public spirit in so largely increasing the manufacturing power of the colony,” the newspaper gushed.
Stillwater Seven is housed in an 1840s flour mill that once served as Launceston’s main water source until 1857. Photo / Carolyn Beasley
Today, Ritchie’s legacy is known as Ritchie’s Mill, and it commands a superb position at the junction of the Tamar River Estuary and the South Esk River, which flows from the Cataract Gorge. Milling had commenced on the site in 1833, and until 1857 the mill was also the principal source of water for Launceston.
Ritchie enters this story in 1876 when he bought the mill. In 1889, Ritchie became the first in Tasmania to upgrade his mill to operating on rollers rather than stone grinders, and in 1910, the Ritchie family built Tasmania’s first concrete grain silos. The site remained active until 1973 when the mill was sold and closed.
After a heritage restoration by the City of Launceston and the Tasmanian Government, the site became an arts centre and, finally, Stillwater Restaurant in 2000.
In 2019, the owners added Stillwater Seven, a boutique hotel of just seven rooms on the second and third floors of the mill building, and a universal access room in the adjoining cottage.
The boutique hotel includes just seven rooms, each with river views and luxurious touches such as curated Tasmanian artwork. Photo / Supplied
Sense of place
Taking in the mill’s newest iteration, I’m checking in to a premium king room on the third floor, noticing the moody vibe created by the grey walls and the original Tasmanian artworks. The bathroom is opulent, resplendent in dark pink tiles, featuring a luxurious bath and rain shower.
Two armchairs are positioned beside an original small window overlooking the Tamar River Estuary, where four fluffy cygnets are paddling with their swan parents. A wooden boat, piled high with lobster traps, rests calmly on its mooring in the golden afternoon light.
The building features original Oregon beams, some charred by a fire in 1943, adding to its historic charm. Photo / Carolyn Beasley
The soaring, pitched ceiling features a large skylight, plus exposed Oregon beams, some of which are the blackened survivors of a fire that ripped through this roof in 1943.
A curved wooden cabinet houses the mini-bar, stocked with Tasmanian tipples and snacks.
We’re unlikely to go hungry though, as the rate includes an in-room continental breakfast of gourmet yoghurt, granola and Tasmanian juices. There’s a mini-sourdough loaf with cultured butter and jams in the room already, and at 8am, fresh croissants in a bag will be left hanging outside on my door handle. They turn out to be a triumph of flaky deliciousness.
Stillwater Seven offers luxury rooms, gourmet breakfasts, and fine dining in Tasmania’s iconic Ritchie’s Mill. Photo / Supplied
Launceston’s fine dining
In the evening, we adjourn downstairs to Stillwater Restaurant, which under the steady hand of executive chef Craig Will is touted as one of Launceston’s finest dining institutions.
Dinner takes the form of a set-price menu with two or three courses and additional “snacks” such as scallops and oysters can be added. Each course offers at least four choices, featuring the best seasonal produce from the Tamar Valley and coastal seafood. The wine includes plenty of local options, and our sommelier recommends glasses to accompany each course.
We’re starting with the excellent Stanley octopus, in lemon dashi and butter, plus the spicy prawn dumplings, accompanied by the local Stoney Rise chardonnay. For mains, we progress to the local wallaby with mushrooms, plus the outstanding wagyu rump cap on beetroot, paired with a glass of the Bremley pinot noir. After a chocolate pave for dessert, we’re grateful for the very short commute upstairs to bed.
Stillwater Restaurant, on the ground floor, is a Launceston institution renowned for seasonal Tamar Valley produce. Photo / Ness Vanderburgh
Exploring the gorge
Given last night’s indulgence, it’s appropriate that we’re tackling the Zig Zag Track, puffing up a rocky hillside on the way to Cataract Gorge, where the freshwater of the South Esk River, the very reason for the mill’s existence, cascades and tumbles through striking dolerite columns. It’s easy to understand why this place was an important spiritual and ceremonial site for the indigenous Palawa people for tens of thousands of years.
Cataract Gorge, a natural wonder minutes away from Stillwater Seven, was an important ceremonial site for the Palawa people. Photo / Carolyn Beasley
Today, it’s a recreational playground, and visitors walk or drive to the gorge to enjoy the cafe, swimming pool, and grassy picnic area dotted with Tasmanian native hens, affectionately called “turbo chooks”. A chairlift transports visitors across the gorge, but we’re continuing via the historic suspension bridge to the Cliff Grounds, where a Victorian garden is patrolled by parading peacocks. From here, it’s an easy 20-minute stroll down the spectacular Cataract Gorge Walk back to Stillwater.
The mill’s conspicuous silos make it hard to miss and there’s no doubt it’s an iconic building. With its milling history and vibrant hospitality present, Stillwater is part of the very fabric of this city. If David Ritchie himself was here, there’s no doubt he’d be chuffed.
The suspension bridge in Cataract Gorge offers stunning views of dolerite cliffs and cascading waterfalls. Photo / Carolyn Beasley
CHECKLIST
Launceston, Tasmania
Getting there
Fly to Melbourne from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown with Air New Zealand, Qantas or Jetstar, and then fly to Launceston Regional Airport with Qantas, Jetstar or Virgin Australia.
Details
Stay at Stillwater Seven from $460 per couple per night in a deluxe king room including breakfast.
