Pumphouse Point was the first accommodation that I booked in Tasmania. The housings were divided…read moreinto two different venues, the Pumphouse and the Shorehouse. Everyone who had seen the photos of the Pumphouse which located 250m out on the lake would want to stay there. I almost lost my chance because I didn't book it in advance. Fortunately, I managed to secure one day at Pumphouse and another night at the Shorehouse. The difference was not only in price but also the toiletries and the style of the room. I drove down to Lake St Clair from Launceston through the Highland where I saw a lot of snows on the road. The 5-storey Pumphouse was created to address the issue of drought in Tasmania, mainly since Lake St Clair was and still is the deepest freshwater lake in Tasmania. However, it was never operated as a proper Pumphouse, and the site was decommissioned in the early 90s. I was welcomed with a thermos filled with mulled wine and two tin mugs with Pumphouse labels on it. It made an excellent souvenir that I still treasured until now. After I checked in a If you want the full experience, then make sure to book the Pumphouse. There are four rooms on the ground floor of the Pumphouse, and I stayed in one of them. There's a minimum of two nights stay for the weekend. In winter, I could hear the sounds of the howling wind at night and at the break of dawn. The lounge at Pumphouse was stunning especially when it gets closer to sunset and at night. I saw the mountain range from the ceiling to floor windows while some lounge songs were playing in the background. I wrote in my journal a lot during my stay there. The fireplace provided enough warmth during winter. There were two ladies from the Shorehouse who came over and spent two hours lounging in front of the fireplace. The bathroom at both houses has heated floors. You will find Aesop toiletries at Pumphouse and Sukin at Shorehouse. The bed at both houses was very comfortable. The largest bedroom is located on the highest floor of the Pumphouse. Honesty bars are located in both houses. The system is straightforward. You just need to write down your room number and what you drink. They have different kind of spirit, whisky, wine, soft and soda water so you can make your own mix drinks. Both houses also provide you with a lunch box that can be used to pack your own picnic. You can request a loaf of warm Sourdough bread to be delivered to your room daily. The pantry has various local wines, cold meats, cheese and delicious jams. I genuinely mean it when I said I could stay in for the whole day. Dinner will be served at the ground floor of the Shorehouse. The dining room housed 3-4 dining tables. Each table can accommodate 6-8 guests. I had a chance to enjoy the Cape Grim braised beef when I was there. It was an excellent opportunity to get to know other guests too. Pumphouse Point is a destination, and I miss the feeling of spending the cold winter there. It's also close to the Cradle Mountain where you can see some Tasmanian Devils in the wild. I'd definitely put Pumphouse Point in the itinerary if I have another chance to go to Tasmania.

Positives +…read more Pumphouse Point provides an exquisite view of the surrounding lake. The house itself is also a beautiful photo op, sitting out at the end of the jetty. The rooms in the pumphouse itself are very spacious, with a tall and very soft king bed and comfy sofa. There is underfloor heating and a great fire place in the lounge. We saw a wombat as we were driving in! And when we went for a night bush walk we saw a possum! Dinner was very delicious! Some of the nicest food I've had in Tassie so far! Negatives - However, the bathroom was a little impractical with the shower not closed off from the rest of the bathroom, the entire floor becomes wet when you turn the shower on, this could be very dangerous if you have any elderly or disabled members in your party, as the entire floor becomes very slippery. If you need wifi to do your work. This is not the place for you. There is no wifi that actually works and the phone signal is very minimal, continuously dropping out. The staff were VERY rude. We arrived a little late (around 6pm) and it was like the world had ended (even though communal dinner wasn't served until 8pm). We were essentially told off and given the cold shoulder due to our late arrival. It was very bizarre. We were asking the women who let us in about some bushwalks to do and she was so unenthusiastic and grumpy, my companion commented "She really shouldn't be in hospitality, she's the opposite of the kind of person whose suited for this kind of job". YIKES Other info: This entire experience is VERY communal, if you want to have dinner, you have to sit on a communal table, with 8 other strangers. This is fine if that's the kind of holiday you like, it reminded me a little of ClubMed, but if you are on a honeymoon or like to keep to yourself, this isn't the place for you. All the lounge areas are communal, and were completely full, therefore privacy was very minimal. Everyone there was perhaps 65 years plus, so as a younger group, we felt very out of place and unwelcome.