A great Gothic-pile of a brewery sat at the foot of Mount Wellington in South Hobart, brewing pale ale and stout since 1824 — which makes it the oldest continuously operating brewery in Australia. The four-storey Victorian building, with its tall central tower and rows of arched windows, looks improbably grand against the wooded mountain behind. The Cascade Premium Lager and the Cascade Stout are still brewed here, along with the seasonal Cascade First Harvest released each March.
The 90-minute brewery tour takes in the mash tuns, the fermentation tanks, the bottling line, and a tasting. It is genuinely interesting and ends with three full beers. Even without the tour, the surrounding Cascade Gardens are open daily and well worth a visit — a quiet garden of mature oaks and elms with the brewery framed behind. Cascade Brewery Bar opens for lunch and dinner.