Bridestowe
200 kilometres of purple in Tasmania's northeast
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Bridestowe Lavender Estate sits about half an hour north of Launceston, tucked into the rolling hills near Nabowla. It's the largest privately-owned lavender farm in the world - 260 acres of it. I've been photographing here for years, and every time I go back, I'm reminded why I keep returning.
One thing I love about this place is the smell. When the summer sun warms the lavender, the fragrance hits you and you just feel... sleepy. Relaxed. You hear the bees humming away, doing their thing, and there's something about the combination of the warmth, the scent, and that constant buzz that makes you want to slow right down.
The old English oak has been here since 1881 - it was standing for forty years before the first lavender was ever planted. I love the way the rows curve around it. You can shoot toward it from almost any angle and it just works.
Peak bloom is usually early January. The estate faces south, which means the light works well at both sunrise and sunset - the summer sun tracks low enough that it rakes across the rows nicely. If you're hoping to photograph, the golden hours are your best bet. Midday gets busy and the light's pretty harsh anyway. Worth checking with management about access if you're planning an early start.
