Visiting Tasmania stories

Spring has sprung, and across Tasmania gardens are erupting in a riot of colour. A feast of spring offerings will soon be on full display at the Blooming Tasmania Flower and Garden Festival in Launceston. Blooming Tasmania showcases the state’s rich horticultural history, landscape design and unique garden attractions. The packed program includes presentations from acclaimed gardening experts, floral art displays, fine Tasmanian food and wine, together with more than 60 exhibits. With its beautiful temperate climate and four distinct seasons, Tasmania is one of the world’s most productive growing regions, and famous for established gardens unlike anywhere else in Australia. Blooming Tasmania is set around Launceston’s Albert Hall and City Park, and will be held over the third weekend in September.

12 September 2018, Edition 198

Long known for its mining heritage, Queenstown is also increasingly known for its unconventional art. Unique and off-beat culture is celebrated at The Unconformity which is expected to draw crowds to the West Coast mining town next month. According to organisers, this biennial contemporary arts festival “explores the paradoxes of Queenstown, a small mining community on Tasmania’s wild and mountainous West Coast… experience our community’s unmatched sense of place". It will feature dance, a photographic exhibition, and a special artists’ trail, highlighting the works of more than 20 local artists. A Memory Map will also encourage people to post their personal experiences about living in this unique community. The Unconformity evolved from the Queenstown Heritage Arts Festival which was first held in 2010, and re-branded in 2015. This year’s three-day The Unconformity arts festival will take place from October 14 to 16.

12 September 2018, Edition 198

Golf’s arbiter of where to go, play, and stay – Links Magazine – has singled out two Tasmanian courses in its list of the world’s ‘Top 25 Golfing Islands’. This is the first time that the magazine has ever compiled a list of the best golfing islands and Australia, “the world’s largest land mass”, came in at third spot with special mention made of “the two Tasmanian stunners Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm”. Barnbougle is a twenty-hole links golf course on the north east coast. Lost Farm is right next door but a world away with significantly steeper sand dunes. Links Magazine also highlighted the “glittering collection of courses in the Melbourne Sandbelt and Mornington Peninsula”. Great Britain, “with more golf courses than any island on the planet” took out top spot. Second is Ireland where “navigating the winding roads can at times be a challenge, but the journey usually ends at a course with jaw-dropping views".

13 August 2018, Edition 197

It was all eyes to the heavens for TAStroFest, the celebration of all things celestial. Held in Ulverstone over the first weekend in August, this festival of the heavens aimed “to teach everyone, no matter what their background or level of knowledge, how to enjoy the night skies". Organisers also highlighted that: “Tasmania has some of the cleanest and clearest skies in the world. It just stands to reason that we celebrate our location with a festival of astronomy.” They also pointed out that as the state extends from the 40th to the 44th parallel it has “the unique gift of being an excellent location for Aurora Australis spotting during most of the year". An added bonus being the roaring forties winds which also “push those clouds pretty efficiently and can enable a great night viewing when least expecting it".

13 August 2018, Edition 197

The Tasmanian trout season has opened, and it is shaping up as a good one. Inland Fisheries Service Director John Diggle told The Examiner the forecast for the season was positive: “A lot of the lakes are spilling which means the outlook for the next year is quite good. The lower Derwent system, Mersey-Forth and Pieman River all have plenty of water, which is nice.” Tasmania’s world class brown trout fishery opened in early August for the 2018-19 season. The state’s inland fisheries attract more than 26,000 recreational anglers every year. Minister for Primary Industries and Water Sarah Courtney said: “The opening of the new trout season is keenly anticipated by thousands of anglers, and good lake heights and strong river flows are expected to create excellent fishing conditions right from the start.” Wild brown trout were first introduced to Tasmania in 1864, and the fishery is now one of the best in the world, attracting more than 5,000 interstate and overseas anglers every year.

13 August 2018, Edition 197

Hobart will welcome some of the world’s elite female rugby players this month as the city hosts the national women’s Uni 7s Rugby series. This year’s competition has grown to include 10 universities and reflects the booming popularity of the sport. Women’s 7s is one of the world’s fastest growing team sports increasing from 200,000 to 1.7m participants in the last three years alone. Unlike traditional rugby, Rugby 7s involves 7 players on each team playing seven-minute halves, producing a fast-paced and exciting game. Following on from their inaugural season in 2017, the University of Tasmania Lions will return with local players joining top international recruits, Eilidh Sinclair (Scotland) Kiki Morgan (USA) and Sydnee Watanabe (USA). The tournament kicks off on August 25 at the University of Tasmania Sandy Bay campus oval.

13 August 2018, Edition 197

It’s a fascinating collaboration. A team of wooden boat builders from the USA is preparing to travel to Tasmania where they will spend months crafting a keel-boat out of our beautiful timber. This will be one of the star attractions at the 13th MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival in February. The seven boat craftsmen are all alumni of the renowned North West School of Boat Building in Washington. They will be arriving in Tasmania in November to begin their mission to build a classic American keel-boat, the Haven 12.5. In the meantime, specialty timber for this project is being sourced and prepared. Hydrowood – reclaimed from the cold depths of flooded hydro lakes where it has been preserved for decades – is being donated for the task. Celery-top pine, a popular wood used in boat building for centuries has been selected as the timber of choice. It is a rot-resistant old-growth timber that bends well and can be used for either structural timbers or planking in boat building. To view the finished product, put a note in the diary for the 2019 MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival which will be held on 8 – 11 February along the Hobart waterfront. For more information visit www.australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au.

10 July 2018, Edition 196

A coup for tourism in the north. MONA’s popular summer festival, Mona Foma, has been locked-in to be staged in Launceston for the next three years. After successfully trialling Mona Foma in the city last January, the State Government has announced a $6 million funding package to support events and arts in the north, including Mona Foma. Premier Will Hodgman said: “Mona Foma made an impressive debut in Launceston earlier this year capturing the imagination of locals and is truly a world class event… Mona Foma has the capacity to be a transformative event for Northern Tasmania.” MONA’S summer celebration will also continue to be staged in Hobart. Meantime, MONA co-chief executive, Mark Wilsdon, told The Examiner: “We’re working closely with Launceston’s arts, tourism, education and business communities as we plan for our next festival, and it seems that everybody is up for it.” He adds, MONA “has already commenced talks with the broader Launceston arts community about major projects for festivals in future years”. Local tourism identities applaud the move. They point out having Mona Foma on the calendar will boost the influx of visitors over the holiday season.

3 July 2018, Edition 196

Tasmanian architects Taylor and Hinds snared the greatest accolade at the 2018 INDE Awards in Singapore. They won the ‘Best of the Best’ award for their ‘standing camp’ at wukalina (Mount William National Park) in the north-east. Their ‘krakani-lumi’ – which means resting place – was developed in conjunction with the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania. Sitting on the fringe of the Bay of Fires it consists of stunning timber structures that provide accommodation and communal facilities for trekkers on a 4-day guided walk from wukalina to larapuna (Eddystone Point). It’s the first walk in Tasmania entirely owned and operated by the Aboriginal Land Council. Poppy Taylor and Mat Hinds only set up their architectural practice in 2013, but beat an impressive field of 400 contenders from 14 countries to win the coveted INDE award. Meantime, accolades also for local architects, Liminal Studio. They have been shortlisted as finalists in the World Architecture Festival awards, which are being held in Amsterdam this November. Against a record number of entries, Liminal Studio has been nominated in the Hotel and Leisure category for their Coastal Pavilions at Freycinet Lodge on the East Coast. The nine pavilions, which are nestled amongst the bush, opened for guests in March and feature outdoor tubs and private decks.

3 July 2018, Edition 196

The proposed cable car at Cradle Mountain National Park – one of the state’s biggest tourist drawcards – has been given its largest boost yet, with a $30 million injection from the Federal Government. As he made the funding announcement during a visit to Cradle Mountain, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: “This is a cableway to get people up here, to deliver 60,000 more visitors and many more jobs in Tasmania.” The cable car would take visitors high over Tasmania’s world heritage wilderness, transporting them from Cradle Mountain Village to Dove Lake where an impressive new viewing shelter would be constructed. Tasmanian Premier, Will Hodgman, said work on the cable car would begin as soon as possible. The cable car is the central plank of an ambitious $160 million Cradle Mountain masterplan which aims to position the region as Australia’s premier wilderness destination. Under this masterplan, the addition of an impressive new visitor centre together with extra accommodation would create a new village hub. Cradle Mountain is widely considered as the gateway to Tasmania’s World Heritage wilderness and it underpins our brand as a global destination for nature-based tourism.

12 June 2018, Edition 195