Bird in Hand has opened a new tasting room, fine dining restaurant and casual kiosk in the leafy surrounds of the Tasmanian Royal Botanic Gardens in Hobart/Nipaluna. 

I’m sitting amongst the blush-hued, stylish surroundings of the new Bird in Hand restaurant, and the detailed design touches, curved lines, smart soundproofing, and bespoke interior fixtures certainly look the part for a break-the-bank dining experience. But the venue is located in the middle of a place for the people: the Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens. Hats off to the team at Bird in Hand, as the newly opened space doubles as a tasting room and restaurant; this is a venue that serves the guests of the gardens. 

Looking around me during a mid-week lunch and cheeky glass of pinot noir, I’d say it’s managed to tick all the boxes. A group of high flyers are having a fancy lunch on one side, some retirees have gathered for soup and a glass of wine after a stroll in the greenery, a couple on holiday are grazing out on the deck, and a single older lady has popped in for a serve of scones and a solo book reading session as the afternoon stretches into tea and cake territory. In the near future, the restaurant will also be flexing its fine dining muscles with the highly personalised culinary journey, the  ‘JOY’ experience. 

The winery’s partnership with Tasmania’s Royal Botanic Gardens marks a 15-year commitment, building on the success of Bird in Hand’s Adelaide Hills restaurant LVN, which was a Best New Restaurant finalist in Gourmet Traveller’s Annual Restaurant Awards in 2024. The Gardens are steeped in history as the second-oldest botanic gardens in Australia. They feature distinctly Tasmanian elements such as the refrigerated Subantarctic Plant House, which recreates the tundra and its endemic plants in a chilled greenhouse. And now, with the ability to settle in for a meal or a casual drink, the Gardens are flourishing at their full capacity as a green-fingered day out in Hobart.  

Why has SA’s Bird in Hand opened in Tasmania?

Most wine lovers will recognise Bird in Hand as a family-owned South Australian wine label. The winery was founded in the Adelaide Hills in 1997 by Andrew and Susie Nugent and has been driven by the pair for the past 25 years with a strong sustainable slant. So why Tassie? Andrew shares, “We really fell in love with Tasmania for its wilderness and nature, and we were fortunate enough to purchase a place at Seymour on the east coast in 2020, which brought us to the Douglas-Apsley National Park. We’ve been doing a lot of environmental work at that property, and we’ve been farming sustainably. In essence, we have a likeness of minds with the management of the Gardens and are really grateful to be involved."  

And then, of course, there’s the wine. He adds, “We see a huge future in Tasmanian wine, and the great thing about wine is it links to other areas, whether it’s farming, the environment, eating, enjoying things, or gardening. It’s culture, more broadly. We are really delighted to have the opportunity to farm down in Tassie and really want to work with the local industry, growers and producers to promote Tassie produce to a discerning global audience. Tasmania has long been regarded as Australia’s leading region for sparkling wine. For Bird in Hand, expanding into Tasmania is about pushing quality even further, producing the best product we can, and crafting wines that compete at the top echelon of global wine." 

More than wine: A flower-conservation partnership

As I sip a glass of the crunchy and lunchtime-friendly Nouveau Pinot Noir, the label is covered in a floral artwork that hints towards another element of the collaboration, one beyond the culinary partnership. The artwork is of the Davies’ waxflower, a critically endangered Tasmanian endemic wildflower, which the winery is partnering with the Botanical Gardens specialists to recover by growing thousands of seeds at its Seymour vineyard for restoration of the native landscape.  

It is one thread in a broader sustainability program built on biodiversity, renewable energy and sustainable viticulture. “The Davies’ waxflower, being native to the east coast of Tasmania, was thought to be extinct until it was found by a local Bicheno resident when hiking near St. Helens. Andrew shares, “When we were lucky enough to be asked whether we would like to be involved in the Davies’ waxflower conservation, we jumped at the opportunity as we are really keen to help in any way we can. It’s a wonderful thing, and the botanical knowledge and wealth of knowledge by the Gardens in that space is very impressive." He adds, “We’re also delighted to be involved in the creation of a new bird sanctuary that the Seymour Conservation Group is working on, which includes part of our property there."  

In addition to the Seymour property, the couple also own a block of land on Cape Barron Island, and are passionate about ensuring that they are led by First Nations people in terms of land management and reconciliation. “We sought their permission to farm on the east coast, and Cape Baron and with the garden. We reached out, and we’re really lucky enough to have had a great Baron Island artist who sang and gave a very moving performance at our launch, and our good friends from Cape Baron came down. The restaurant features artwork by a local Cape Baron artist called Ricky Maynard, who’s a photographer. We really wanted to make sure that the Botanical Gardens are a sensitive place for First Nations people." 

Details

Address: Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Queens Domain TAS 7000 

Opening Hours: Tasting Room and Restaurant 11 am – 4 pm. Kiosk 9 am – 4 pm. 7 days a week 

Go for: A relaxed lunch offering or wine tasting flight in stylish surroundings. Bistro fare, seasonal snacks and afternoon tea.