Spirit of Tasmania gluten free

The Spirit of Tasmania is the boat service that crosses Bass Strait from Melbourne in Victoria to Devonport in the north of Tasmania.   The trip takes between 9-11 hours and you can choose from a day or night sailing.

Although there are gluten free options available on board, most are not suitable for coeliacs because of the risk of cross contamination due to the self service buffet. If you are not a coeliac, then there are some great options.

Luckily we did night sailings in both directions.  It was easy to eat dinner at home before leaving but it was more difficult on the return leg as we had been on the road for some time.  As usual, travel snacks are essential for a travelling coeliac!

If you need to buy something to eat before leaving Melbourne, consider Mediteranneo or Foddies in nearby Albert Park, D’Lish Fish or Nandos in Port Melbourne. There is also a Coles supermarket to stock up on snacks.

If you are leaving from Melbourne at night, don’t forget to look at the view of the city from the boat – an angle you don’t get to see very often!

If you board early, then having something to eat would be a good way to kill some time. The TMK (Tasmanian Market Kitchen) has gluten-free options available and you can see the menus online with GF marked up (as well as vegan and vegetarian).

For breakfast there is a gluten free cereal or an omelette and there are many more options for lunch or dinner, including a roast dinner (which did look good).  There are also some dessert options, like pavlova or panna cotta.

There are plenty of tables and chairs surrounding the bistro and the bars where you can take your meal and eat comfortably.

There is a little shop like a Milk Bar that has some pre-packed cold meals, but there wasn’t anything gluten free.  There were however quite a few snack options (e.g. crisps, chocolate) if you get peckish or want something to nibble with a drink or in the cinema.

As were were travelling overnight, we stayed in a twin porthole cabin which has a little ensuite.  We were extremely lucky with the weather both ways and managed to get some sleep with just a gentle rocking from the waves.  Do be prepared for a rough crossing though as Bass Strait is known for being a bit wild!

Tags: Albert Park, Devonport, Gluten free, Port Melbourne, Spirit of Tasmania, Tasmania