Oatlands wasn't originally on the agenda, but they're glad they made the detour.
Our one-kilometre turn-off the highway took 24 hours. It was that good! We’d visited Richmond and were travelling north up Tasmania’s Highway 1 on our way to Ross, when we saw the turn-off to Oatlands and the Callington Mill. It was only a one-kilometre detour… but the beginning of an unexpected adventure!
In January 2026 we put our Swift Rio campervan on the Spirit of Tasmania and headed for Tassie/lutruwita. It had been 30-plus years since we had last explored the Apple Isle. Our research told us that there were plenty of free camping opportunities, natural wonders and Australian settlement history to explore, and there were! Our three weeks gave us plenty of time to roam across the top of the island from Stanley, in the west, to Eddystone Point Lighthouse on the east coast. We then journeyed down the east coast to Hobart, before making our way back up the middle to Devonport with a few days to spare.
The surprise of the trip was Oatlands. Situated between the historic towns of Richmond and Ross, Oatlands – about an hour north of Hobart – was the find of the trip. It was better preserved and better presented than any other historic town we visited, and included some surprising bonuses, like a new heated swimming pool, the Callington Mill complex (and distillery) and a very generous free camp next to a nice new toilet block and playground.
Oatlands serves as a regional hub, hosting the municipal offices for the Southern Midlands Council, and has all the usual services a traveller needs. It was a pleasure just to wander around town (sometimes I wondered what century I was in). The heritage sandstone buildings (and that’s nearly all of them) were in beautiful condition or in the process of being restored. And the Callington Mill Distillery opens up the old 1837 mill and associated buildings for self-guided tours (you can climb the internal stairs to the top for views across the town).
Our one-kilometre detour took us 24 hours, we had such a lovely time exploring and chatting with the locals and other travellers who were visiting. Another remarkable thing about Oatlands was the number of volunteers ‘doing stuff’ around the town. It was very tidy and featured some wonderful hedge art, my favourite was the quad bike, but there were so many more!
I did visit the distillery, I did have a whisky tasting, and I did bring a bottle back home… But that’s a distraction from the main story which is – visit Oatlands, you will be glad you did!
