Adelaide team hatches Garden venture

Play to your strengths. It's an old cliché but one that's good advice when it comes to getting the best out of a team's resources. Nowhere is that more evident in Tasmania's tourism and hospitality sector at the moment than at Bird in Hand's smart new bistro, kiosk and tasting room at Hobart's renowned Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG).

The carefully conceived and executed developments played out there over the past 18 months represent the most significant investment in visitor amenities on the 14ha site since the original 'visitor and interpretation centre' opened to the public in December 1998.

Bird in Hand's bold commitment to showcasing Tasmania's world-class food and wine was officially launched in late April. The new facilities commenced business operations earlier this month. Work on upgrading the visitor centre and restaurant first began back in October 2025.

The privately-funded developments complement ongoing work by the State Government and reflect a $7.6m commitment to revitalising and improving visitor experiences throughout the gardens.

An estimated 238,000 visitors spent time on the Queens Domain site during the 12 months ending December 2025. Tasmanian visitor data collected by Tourism Tasmania indicate 50 percent of them were aged 55 years and over. Around a third were drawn from households with annual incomes of $150,000 and over, while some 38 percent travelled as 'couple, no kids.'

Visitors will love what's on offer now.

Based in South Australia's Adelaide Hills, Bird in Hand was established there in 1997. Founder and executive director Andrew Nugent says he and his wife Susie and their family share a love for Tasmania's spectacular natural environment that dates back many years.

Their latest venture continues the company's existing deep connections to the State. Back in 2020, Bird in Hand purchased a 160ha greenfield site at Seymour on Tasmania's East Coast. In spring 2021, work began on a unique 55ha circular vineyard that will eventually become a viticultural showpiece, featuring land art, wildlife corridors, and the restoration of endemic plant species.

With expert guidance from the Tasmanian Seed Conservation Centre located at the RTBG, the winery has already established a seed orchard on its Seymour site. The initiative supports recovery efforts for the critically endangered Davies' waxflower.

Regenerative and restoration works play to Susie Nugent's key strengths. With decades of experience and training in horticulture and landscape architecture to her credit, Nugent is also actively involved with indigenous community projects being undertaken on Cape Barren Island through the family's Bird in Hand Foundation.

In late 2024, Bird in Hand created another Tasmanian touchpoint by entering into long-term leasehold arrangements with the owners of the 10ha Waterton Hall vineyard in the Tamar Valley. The 15-year partnership will also see the Adelaide Hills winery manage weddings and events across indoor and outdoor spaces on the Rowella site.

Developments at Hobart's RTBG build on the reputation of Bird in Hand's award-winning LVN Restaurant in the Adelaide Hills. The Nugents engaged Adelaide-based interior designer Georgie Shepherd to work her magic on the Woodside estate. Within six months of opening, the property's LVN Restaurant was named a Best New Restaurant finalist in the 2024 Gourmet Traveller awards.

It was also shortlisted for Best Restaurant Design at the Eat Drink Design Awards that same year.

Shepherd has a well-established reputation for creating calm, natural spaces that are defined by carefully considered detailing and a strong sense of place. Her RTBG brief included working with local makers to fit out the Hobart developments.

Bespoke, handcrafted furniture by Tasmanian designers Matthew Prince and Scott Van Tuil, ceramics by George Vozar and photography by Tasmanian Aboriginal artist Ricky Maynard bring both authenticity and freshness to the garden setting.

The Bird in Hand Kiosk, Tasting Room and Bistro operate seven days a week.

The Kiosk is open from 9:00am-5:00pm, and serves a range of takeaway snacks, meals, and hot and cold drinks. 

The Tasting Room and Bistro are both open from 11:00am-4:30pm and offer relaxed tastings of the winery's new Tasmania range. Casual dining options are complemented by specially curated private and corporate events.

Fine dining experiences – along the lines of Bird in Hand's LVN Restaurant in Woodside – will be available at JOY Restaurant on the Hobart site in coming months. A set degustation menu is currently being developed by executive chef Patrick Prenter.

Prenter's cooking reflects core values of authenticity, sustainability and seasonality.

Born and raised in Hobart, he was previously executive chef at Tasmania's Saffire Freycinet, located at Coles Bay on the East Coast.

The all-inclusive luxury resort has been acclaimed as the World's Best Boutique Hotel (2014), World's Best Relaxation Resort (2015) and Tripadvisor's #3 Best Small Hotel in the World (2016). 

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The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens has a fascinating history.

The site overlooking the river sits on land originally occupied by the Muwinina people, one of four distinct bands of Aboriginal people that lived in southern Tasmania prior to European settlement.

The landscape hereabouts would have provided the Muwinina people with protection from weather extremes as well as plenty of native wildlife for food, skins, tools and decoration. Close proximity to the water allowed ready access to scale fish and shellfish.

Archaeological garden excavations have uncovered extensive evidence of indigenous culture and stone artefacts dating back more than 5,000 years.

Early European occupation saw the site become known as the Colonial Gardens. Established in 1806 – two years after the founding of Hobart Town – the Gardens were cultivated extensively with various crops, vegetables, and fruit trees.

Today's Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens owes its origins to Lieutenant-Governor William Sorell. He officially recorded its foundation in 1818. Recognised as the second oldest botanical garden in Australia, the RTBG was established only two years after Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden (est. 1816).

As Hobart grew in the 19th century, the RTBG evolved with it. Visitors came for rest and recreation, with the development of more creative landscaping over time further enhancing the experience.

Collections of plants from around the world were established and researched on the site. Demands imposed by expanding colonisation led to increasing propagation and distribution of productive plants needed to sustain life in the new settlements.

The garden still retains remarkably well-preserved architecture from the early 19th century, including the historic Arthur Wall built in 1829. It also maintains the largest collection of conifers in the Southern Hemisphere, and provides a home to the world's only Sub-Antarctic Plant House.

The 1845 Gatekeeper's Cottage has been conserved and restored to its original appearance and layout. 

The creation of the Tasmanian Seed Conservation Centre (TSCC) in 2005 has since become the cornerstone of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens Conservation Strategy. Its role as a seed-banking facility is helping to ensure the long-term security and conservation of Tasmania's unique native plant species.

For every seed collection made in Tasmania and stored in the TSCC, a duplicate collection is sent to the Millennium Seed Bank Project in Kew (UK), as well as the Botanic Gardens of Sydney PlantBank. The practice offers additional insurance for the maintenance of the TSCC's valuable seed collections.​

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens chair Daniel Leesong says Bird in Hand's latest initiatives provided a welcome update to the Gardens' facilities.

"It's a partnership which will bring huge benefit to the community," he explains.

"We've been able to lift the offering in our beautiful gardens and ensure that we're meeting contemporary demand ... the facilities were old, and needed a serious upgrade.

"They weren't meeting the standard which is demanded by a discerning customer. What this partnership does is bring it to a world-class level and with a world-class operator.

"We couldn't be more excited."

Disclosure: Mark and Lee Smith were unsponsored private dining guests at RTBG in early May 2026.

Last page update: 26 May 2026