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Natural State News
May 2009
Errol Flynn Centenary Celebration
June 2009 is the centenary of Errol Flynn’s birth. Flynn was born in Hobart in June 1909 and the Errol Flynn Society of Tasmania will host the Errol Flynn Centenary Celebration from 12-20 June (2009).
Flynn’s daughter, Rory, and his grandson, Sean, will be guests of the Centenary Celebration. Other commemorations for one of Hollywood’s greatest ever stars include an Errol Flynn display at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, a film festival at the State Cinema and a tourist brochure, Errol Flynn’s Hobart, that will be released at the festival.
The TMAG display will have some 50 significant pieces – Hollywood artefacts and personal mementoes – from Errol’s life. A star for Flynn will also be unveiled. It will be the first star on Hobart’s new Walk of Fame. To culminate the celebrations the Heart Foundation will host a gala ball with an Errol Flynn theme on June 20.
www.flynncentenarycelebration.com.au
Peter Ernst from Premier Travel Tasmania released a new food tour in May. The three days (two nights) tour, pitched as a ‘Tasmanian Culinary Weekend’, includes:
- Joining chef and former food editor Rodney Dunn at ‘The Agrarian Kitchen’ to prepare a feast from the ingredients collected from Rodney’s garden (you may or may not have to milk the cow).
- Meeting some of the producers of the Huon Valley, including organic pork producer Lee Christmas. Lee will host and teach a class on how to make sausages.
- Learning the art of a successful wine and cheese marriage at Grandvewe Cheeses, a practical Lark Whisky Distillery experience (though there is time for a haggis lunch with wine and whisky) and an evening at Marque IV Restaurant where executive chef Paul Foreman will demonstrate his flair with crayfish, baby abalone, venison and ocean trout.
- Two nights at the acclaimed Islington Hotel.
The tour begins on 26 June and there here will be fortnightly departures thereafter. The cost including all transfers host and driver is AUD$ 1,600 per person (double occupancy) and $ 1,850 per person (single occupancy).
Million Dollar Spa Near Completion
The Harmony Hill Wellness and Organic Spa Retreat in southern Tasmania is expected to open late August.
The $1.2 million spa and wellness retreat will offer one, three, five and 10-day programs in Detox, Relax and Re-Vibe. Owners Ami Nakamura and Alfred Merse have searched the globe for specialists in iridology, kinesiology, Ayurvedic medicine, chi energy healing, lymphatic drainage and nutrition. “This is not a traditional hotel/resort spa,” says Nakamura. “We focus on alternative therapies to offer a holistic health experience. Our facial and body spa treatments use natural therapy techniques such as lymphatic massage, organic spa detox treatments and Shiatsu facial and scalp treatments. We have also developed a new body treatment using dry herbs and hot stones.”
Products used within the spa will be 100% Australian Certified Organic Harmony Harvest skin and remedial products. They are made by Ami on-site.
Harmony Hill is set on 42 acres on top of a mountain in Margate, just 25 minutes’ drive from Hobart. It will feature five spa treatment rooms as well as two double spa accommodation cottages. The spa was designed by Nakamura using Hexagon Feng Shui principals.
The spa uses solar energy, rain water collection and its own wetland to purify grey water and recycle it. Harmony Hill offers a full service package including hotel/airport pick-up and return, specially tailored treatment programs, special spa cuisine menus and use of all spa facilities.
The three day Detox Retreat costs $1990pp. A five day Detox Retreat costs $3300pp. It includes
Spa treatments (two), yoga classes (five), pilates and more, all meals, accommodation and transfers.
catchpole.paula@bigpond.com
www.organicspa-retreat.com
Phillippa Denne and Virginia Cowie, two English women who moved to from the UK to Tassie in 2002, have unveiled their latest project at Mt Paul near the Freycinet Peninsula. The Arc and Barn function venues officially opened on 26 April (2009).
The views from the summit of Mt Paul extend over Freycinet, the Tasman Sea and Great Oyster Bay.
The Arc is a formal function room that can accommodate up to 120 people. It is perched on the southern face of Mt Paul. The gentle curve in the building inspired its name and trumpets style. As with the best designs The Arc seems sympathetic to it surrounds. It is ideal for weddings, gala dinners, corporate gatherings or association meetings.
Elsewhere at Mt Paul a standing camp with 12 two-person tents is set on a ridge overlooking the Swan River Estuary. A rustic Barn is the centre-point of the camp and has cooking facilities including a wood-fired pizza oven. The camp accommodates groups of 24 people for overnight stays.
There are also two self-contained lodges tucked into a niche on the side of Mt Paul. Each lodge has a bedroom and living areas which open out onto decks. The views can make the DVD player seem superfluous. One lodge is designed for wheelchair use. It has wide doorways, a walk-in shower, and an extended deck. The girls built the lodges in a project with the School of Architecture as part of the school’s Environmentally Sustainable Design module.
The girls have had a hand in all the construction work. They have plans for the Barn and The Arc to become venues for a rolling course of events: from cooking courses, to painting classes and bird watching. Those are ideas still to be fully mulled. Already they have a booking for a wedding from a couple in Alice Springs. One hundred guests are coming to Mt Paul.
The lodges cost from $240 per night per couple. Check for winter specials. The Saltwater Shack with views over Friendly Beaches costs from $150 per night per couple.
All the accommodation is self catering so load up on east coast produce before you arrive. The Freycinet Marine Farm is almost opposite the entrance to Mt Paul. Stop there for fresh oysters, mussels, and rock lobsters.
Matt Casey has been appointed the General Manager of Saffire - the Federal Group’s coastal sanctuary currently under construction at Coles Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula.
According to the Federal Group, Saffire will compare with the finest and most exotic five-star experiences found anywhere in the world. Saffire will include a world-class day spa and gym, guest lounge, premium meeting facilities and will showcase Tasmanian fresh produce and exceptional wines in a fine dining restaurant.
Saffire will cater for a maximum of just 40 guests, accommodated in 20 free-standing luxury suites. There will be three types of suites - 6 Luxury Suites, 10 Deluxe Suites, and 4 Premium Suites. They will cost from AUD $1,000 to AUD $3,000 per suite, per night.
Each suite will offer magnificent ocean views, designer bathrooms, private decks, king size beds, separate lounge areas and state-of-the-art audio, visual and communications technology. Suites range in internal size from a generous 80 square metres to 150 square metres for the Premium Suites – which will also feature private plunge pools.
The Federal Group will invest in excess of $32 million in Saffire, which is scheduled to open in December 2009. Casey is currently the General Manager of the Henry Jones Art Hotel and has been instrumental in the success of this multi-award-winning hotel. He is just 37 years old.
brendan.blomeley@puretasmania.com.au
www.saffire-freycinet.com.au
Events:
Upcoming events in Tasmania include: Tastings at the Top at Cradle Mountain Lodge, Festival of Voices and Chocolate Winterfest. More information
Travel Deals:
Travelmarvel Tasmania recently launched their 2009/2010 brochure. They have an early booking discount of $500 per couple ($250 per person) available until sold out. They also have a new 10 day Naturally Tasmania tour priced from $2,125 which includes the early booking discount.
- Naturally Tasmania highlights include:
- Two nights at Cradle Mountain Chateau
- Time to explore Cradle Mountain-Lake St Claire National Park
- Explore Freycinet National Park
- Tour Campbell Town, Ross and Richmond
- Discover the history of Port Arthur
- Panoramic views of Hobart from Mt Nelson
- Russell Falls
- Gordon River Cruise
Winter Quamby Estate
From 1 June to 30 September, 2009 guests can enjoy a two-night stay at the beautiful Quamby heritage-listed homestead, about 30 minutes’ drive west of Launceston. Quamby has recently been restored to a boutique luxury lodge and the package includes dinner and breakfast daily, a bottle of Tasmanian sparkling wine on arrival, a one hour massage and 18 holes of golf on the estate’s private golf course.
The package costs $450 per person twin share in a Superior room or $590 per person twin share in a Deluxe room.
www.anthology.travel
Media Contact:
Sonia Rendigs at Media Moguls: (03) 9836 2167
sonia@mediamoguls.com.au
Download: High-resolution images from Tourism Tasmania's Visual Library.
Check the Events Tasmania website for upcoming events:
www.eventstasmania.com
For further information:
travelmedia.tourismtasmania.com.au
www.discovertasmania.com