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Natural State News
Issue 7 2007
Mark Webber Takes Off in Tassie
The third Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge - an adventure race around Tassie - begins on 17 November. Webber and a cracking line-up of fellow sports stars will run, kayak and cycle about Tassie icons including Cradle Mountain and the Freycinet Peninsula. Competitors confirmed for the 2007 race include F1 driver Mark Webber, V8s Cameron McConville and Paul Dumbrell, adventure racers Guy Andrews and Richard Ussher (current world champion), and other Australian identities including Michael Klim, James Tomkins, Diesel (Mark Lizotte), Tatiana Grigorieva, Grace McClure and Tiffany Cherry.
Celebrating 25 World Heritage Years
In December Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area celebrates its 25th birthday, and a quarter of a century on there remains a lot to be happy about.
The Tasmanian Wilderness WHA spreads over 1.38 million hectares - about 20 per cent of the island. It is one of only 13 WHA sites that satisfy all natural criteria for selection, and one of only 24 that satisfy both natural and cultural criteria. Made up of four contiguous national parks (Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair, Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers, Walls of Jerusalem and the Southwest), it meets a record seven of a possible 10 criteria. To date, only one other WHA – Mt Taishan in China – has satisfied as many.
www.parks.tas.gov.au/wha/whahome.html
This new adventure – a glide through the treetops – opens in December.
The two-hour tour, about 15 km north of Launceston near Pipers River, features a flying-fox-like experience through a forest canopy. One glide section will extend 115 metres over the Pipers River, while another will span 300 metres over the river valley.
Lyn McGaurr: (03) 6230 8174
The Salmon Centre is a partnership between Tassal, the largest aquaculture company in Australia, and the Rockefeller family (yes, them). The centre incorporates an aquarium, a cooking school, a retail outlet, an educational centre and Smolt restaurant.
The all-things-salmon place is in Hobart’s Salamanca precinct.
Lyn McGaurr: (03) 6230 8174
Orange-bellied Parrots' Biggest Release
Seventy-eight captive-bred orange-bellied parrots were recently released into the wild at Birchs Inlet in the biggest release undertaken of the critically endangered migratory bird. Regarded as one of the world’s rarest birds, the OBP breeds only in south-western Tasmania, spending the winter months in coastal Victoria and South Australia.
The release of the captive-bred birds saw one of the largest gatherings of the species in the wild for more than 20 years. Thirty-seven parrots that had been raised at a captive-breeding site near Hobart were joined by three from Adelaide Zoo and 40 from Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria.
The established captive-breeding program is a major part of the national Recovery Plan, which brings together the Australian, South Australian, Victorian and Tasmanian governments, non-government organisations and conservation management experts to enhance the survival of the orange-bellied parrot.
Lyn McGaurr: (03) 6230 8174
Escape the Election on a Tall Ship
The 35-metre brigantine Windeward Bound sails from Hobart to Port Davey on 23 November. Get your vote in early and you can escape election saturation.
Port Davey is a waterway larger and more intricate than Sydney Harbour. It has never been settled by European humans. It never will be. Incredibly, Port Davey is only 115 nautical miles from Hobart yet it is the heart of the World Heritage Area of southwest Tasmania.
Windeward Bound visits this staggering wilderness only twice a year, in November and March. There is passage for just 12 people. They’ll have the opportunity to kayak remote reaches of the waterway, climb the hills and mountains, walk the many trails, swim, relax or just take in the momentous scenery.
Spring in Tasmania is fields of tulips, blooming rhododendrons and Georgian village gardens perfumed by roses. In December and January flowering lavenders fill gardens and fields. Tasmania is “blooming beautiful” through spring and summer.
The new Wineglass to Wine Glass experience captures the history, nature, and food and wine of the Freycinet Peninsula. Wineglass Bay, voted one of the best beaches in the world, features on this guided walk and eat fest, but so does fine food and wine, and historic recollections.
After the walk to Wineglass Bay there is a lunch of local seafood, beef and quail, the east coast’s finest wines and specialty Tasmanian cheeses. In the afternoon, wander the sandy shores, take a dip in Great Oyster Bay or sit back and take in the area’s spectacular scenery. Later a boat will pick you up for the half-hour cruise back to Freycinet Lodge.
www.puretasmania.com.au/wineglass
Tasmania’s premier folk and world music event has the perfect venue – the village of Cygnet, nestled on a bay in the beautiful Huon Valley.
Opening on 11 January 2008, this three-day annual celebration of words, music and dance features performances in pubs, halls and cafes supplemented by wonderful open-air events that give the entire village the atmosphere of an open-air festival. There are even workshops and children’s events.
Kayak and Crayfish at the Henry Jones Hotel
Hobart’s stylish and acclaimed Henry Jones Art Hotel is right by a marina where the rock lobster fleet moors. The Henry Jones has recently teamed up with Blackabys Sea Kayaking to offer a novel tour of Hobart’s waterfront. From the Henry Jones you can step almost directly into a sea kayak. Kayak about Battery Point, the marina and the finish of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in the afternoon then return to where the fishing boats tie up.
You can buy a crayfish (rock lobster) from one of the fish punts, and take it and the seakayaking experience back to the hotel. The Henry Jones chef will cook up your fresh lobster while you soak off the kayaking in the Sok spa in your room.
Tourism Tasmania’s media website has a page dedicated to hosting new and unpublished images. The page is updated on a bi-monthly basis.
travelmedia.tourismtasmania.com.au
Tiger Airways has announced daily services from Melbourne to Launceston and Hobart. The new services are expected to generate renewed interest in travel to the State.
Flights to Launceston start on 29 November, while flights to Hobart start on 15 January. One-way launch fares for the Hobart service are as little as $9.95, while fares to Launceston start at $39.95.
Check the Events Tasmania website for upcoming events
For further information:
travelmedia.tourismtasmania.com.au
www.discovertasmania.com
www.eventstasmania.com