Bridestowe Estate wins national award

Owner Robert Ravens said it was a difficult few months for the business, learning to adapt with changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's been interesting, but the staff are amazing and resilient and we've worked through it and are hopefully on the other side," he said.

Bridestowe Lavender Estate has been named as one of eight winners in Webjet.com.au's "Show Us Your Australia" competition, where the public were asked to nominate hidden tourism gems in regional Australia.

Chosen from more than 2000 entries, Bridestowe was chosen for its "rows of amazing blooms that wouldn't look out of place in Provence".

For Mr Ravens, the award came as a complete shock.

"I didn't even know we'd been nominated, so to come out as one of the winners is absolutely incredible," he said.

The message of shock, as well as gratitude, was echoed by tourism manager Kim Weston.

"It's incredibly humbling for all of us here at Bridestowe," he said.

"It's obviously great for us, but it's amazing for the region as a whole. Things like this not only opens up opportunities for us here but for all of the tourism providers and businesses in North-East Tasmania.

"People stop by Bridestowe on their way to places like Derby and Scottsdale, or they stop into destinations in Lilydale on their way here for example, and highlighting us as a destination to visit is going to help make a big difference".

Mr Weston said that visitor numbers had dropped to the area since the start of March.

"We had a lot of cancellations obviously from groups travelling from overseas, as did our numbers from interstate," he said.

"As soon as our restrictions in Tasmania eased and travel was encouraged again, we found that locals gave us amazing support.

"The most recent school holidays were our busiest yet, and we're hoping visitors to the region will increase again when our borders re-open.

Mr Weston said Bridestowe was ready to welcome interstate visitors again, having made changes to prepare.

"We've definitely made sure that we've spaced out our visitor centre and our cafe," he said.

"We have made some changes to the menu in line with the market - but the favourites everyone loves, like our lavender scones and milkshakes, are definitely still there.

"We'll be okay when it comes to allowing appropriate room for distancing across the property - we've got a lot of room, and what better place is there to social distance than in a wide, open lavender field?"