NOW EXPERIENCING:Wandering Trout Taphouse
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Wandering Trout Taphouse

100 Pioneer Drive, Mole Creek, TAS, 7304
Phone
(03) 6388 9252
Website
wanderingtrout.com.au
Instagram
@wanderingtroutcraftyales

Read time 4 Mins

Posted 08 Sep 2022

By
Luke Slattery

This friendly taphouse in a sleepy Highland village is as unexpected as it is welcome with a line-up of cracking craft ales and globetrotting beer-friendly snacks.

image of people at bar
Why you go The northern Tasmanian town of Mole Creek, population circa 600, isn’t particularly remote – it’s an hour’s drive west of the island’s second city of Launceston. But it feels far away in its spot on the road to the World Heritage wilderness of Cradle Mountain and flanked by the Great Western Tiers, with that fairy-tale name and lost-world vibe. And that’s part of the charm of the Wandering Trout Taphouse, set in an old two-storey weatherboard building in the main street that was once a hardware shop. On a Tasmanian hiking trip, who would expect to pull up in the middle of nowhere for a well-crafted, small-batch ale with, say, tea-smoked duck or Korean-style pork belly in a friendly bar with a cracking playlist?
Why you stay If it’s cold outside – and Mole Creek has a long and serious winter – there’ll be a log fire crackling inside, and bar tables of finely milled timber and couches for lounging around the pool table. If it’s fine, there’s a big street-front deck with ringside views of the spectacular Great Western Tiers, sometimes snow-peaked. The drinks and food menus are both local and international in all the right ways – produce is strictly local and is showcased in bar snacks bearing Japanese, Korean, Indian and Japanese influences. Choose from the handful of Wandering Trout beers on tap – whatever they’ve been brewing lately – and tins of its full range of six beers. They’re produced off-grid on a nearby farm using “unadulterated Mole Creek rain”. Also on tap is Pagan Cider, made in the Huon Valley south of Hobart, a house-made pre-mixed G&T, and Wanderer Mead, made with Tasmanian honey in Launceston. A handful of good-quality wines from the north-west, rarely seen off the island, and an edited selection of Tassie spirits complete the drinks line-up (note for travellers: no hot drinks). Share communal high tables with a friendly mix of locals and travellers listening to an Americana playlist free-ranging across grunge, country, gospel, blues, indie rock and soul.
image of beers
image of drink on table
What drink to order Beer, obviously. We particularly like Wandering Trout’s Cradle Mountain bitter pale ale, and Belczech, a lager-like ale billed as “Belgian, Czech, Bohemian – kind of weird in a creative, good way”. Seasonal drops include a robust Side X Side dark chocolate ale, and a low-alcohol amber ale called The Local.
What to pair it withBeer-friendly snacks, with vegan and gluten-free options, include salty fish balls, miso-glazed and grilled eggplant, crisp samosas and mushroom tacos. There’s a dish of tea-smoked duck with crunchy salad, and a moreish okonomiyaki, Japan’s favourite savoury pancake.
Regular’s tipFriday night is “locals’ night”, when there’s live music in the bar and a rich assortment of Mole Creek characters and out-of-towners in attendance.  
Make it fancyStay and play – enjoy a couple of beers, share plates and a game of pool, then wander upstairs to a comfortable, well-priced room. The Trout’s straightforward offering listed on its billboard – “beer, food, bed” – isn’t so much fancy as the full package. This makes the taphouse a good base for exploring the Meander Valley, billed as “the short-walk capital of Tasmania”, threaded by waterfalls, clad in rainforest and dotted with historic towns. Mole Creek is riddled with accessible caves, the highlight of nearby Mole Creek Karst National Park. There’s a wildlife sanctuary nearby for guaranteed sightings of Tasmanian devils. And you’re well placed for hiking at Cradle Mountain, a 90-minute drive west.
image of beer tap
image of group of people sitting outside
Who to takeInterstate visitors and Tasmanian travellers will love the unlikely combination of good craft beer and bar snacks in a sleepy Highland village on the way to the island’s premier national park. For food-loving tourers, the Wandering Trout Taphouse is one of about 40 food and drinks pit stops – from bee and berry farms to breweries and wineries – along the north-west Tasting Trail Cradle to Coast.
Authour image
Luke SlatteryLuke Slattery is a journalist, author, editor, and a new Tasmanian.
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Drinks DirectoryGreat tunesDan's Daily top pickSpecialty BarOutdoor areaBarWheelchair accessibleBrilliant beer listParty vibesVego Food OptionsRegional TASGood for groups
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