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Natural State News
October 2009
MONA Pavilions set to open
Four contemporary suites, known as pavilions, have been added to the accommodation on offer at Moorilla, a vineyard set on the banks of the River Derwent just 15-minutes’ drive north of Hobart. The pavilions will open on November 1 and precede the opening of Australia’s largest private museum — the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) — on the estate in late 2010.
Three pavilions are translucent glass and steel cubes. The fourth is a diamond-shaped three story building enclosed in a metallic skin. There are one and two bedroom configurations. All the private and self-contained pavilions have access to a heated lap pool, sauna and gym. Bespoke furniture by Tasmanian designers features along with art from David Walsh’s private collection. The Nonda Katsalidis designed pavilions are named after prominent architects. They are priced from $650 per night.
www.moorilla.com.au and delia@mona.net.au
New East Coast Lair
A$1430 a night property has opened on Tasmania’s mid east coast. The 450m² Lair is set on a 16ha (40 acres) overlooking Great Oyster Bay.
Holidaying couples won’t have to toss a coin for the bedrooms: each of the bedroom suites, their leather beds, bathrooms and powder rooms, is exactly the same. Each room, including the two bedrooms, opens onto an east facing deck.
Everywhere else are icons of style and design including a Maralunga lounge suite, Artemide lighting and Georg Jensen cutlery. The bathrooms feature curved glass, stone baths, and porcelain tiled walls and floors. The spa pool has a docking station for ipods. A collection of contemporary art includes prominent Tasmanian artists such as Michael McWilliams and Jonathan Kimberley.
The Lair has been built to strict ecological standards, both in the use of materials and thermal performance, though guest might well spend more time contemplating the exhaust fan in the kitchen that lights up like a mirror ball.
The Lair is 15km south of Swansea, about 1.5 hours drive from either Hobart or Launceston airports. Rick Bzowy is the architect and owner.
Great Short Walks
The 60 Great Short Walks booklet for 2009 will be available from Tasmanian visitor information centres, Parks and Wildlife visitors centres and online (www.discovertasmania.com) from September 30.
There are walks ranging from Cockle Creek to the Calcified Forest on King Island and Trousers Point on Flinders Island to a variety of walks for all levels throughout Tasmania in the booklet.
That 15 of the walks can be completed in around 20 minutes means that stepping out into Tassie’s landscape can be almost sweatless.
This year’s brochure includes four new walks. Leven Canyon Lookout in the Leven Canyon Regional Reserve; the Huon Pine Walk in the Pieman River State Reserve at Corinna; the Goblin Forest Walk in the Blue Tier, and the Springlawn Nature Walk in Narawntapu National Park are all first time entries in the booklet.
New 3-day Wilderness on Water experience
Roaring 40°s has launched a 3-day Wilderness on Water experience.
On this journey to Tasmania’s remote south-west, at the centre of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, guests stay in a purpose-built base camp at Forest Lagoon.
Specially designed for minimal environmental impact, the camp consists of spacious two-person tents set upon platforms scattered underneath the forest canopy. The camp includes a dining area and “the most expensive toilets in Tasmania”, according to guide and owner Ian Balmer.
Roaring 40°s is the only operator in the area. The 3-Day Exploration in Kayaks costs from $1895pp ($1995 pp for dates between January 1 and March 1). Trips depart from November 10 until April 13 (2010)
Paula Catchpole: paula_catchpole@bigpond.com or 0407 532 103
A World First for Spring Bay Seafoods
Phil Lamb’s marine farms are the largest in eastern Australia. After years of research and development, Lamb is the largest single producer of blue shell mussels in the country and home to the world’s first commercial scale mussel hatchery.
“Mussels are the most underrated seafood in the world, particularly in Australia. They are high in iodine, iron and zinc, Omega 3 and Omega 6, and are so versatile in their cooking. They are also very environmentally sustainable to grow – they use no GM organisms, no chemicals, and they filter their food from the algae water,” says Lamb.
In 2006, the company set about building the world’s first commercial scale mussel hatchery. After a long period of trial and error, a large amount of Research and Development and hard work by employees Ian Duthie and Anson Liu, the company is now consistently spawning and growing their own mussel spat.
“Prior to this no-one in the world really understood the early life history of the mussel – in fact all the other mussel farms rely on wild spat settling and attaching themselves to their ropes,” Phil said.
As a result of our sustainable farming practices and “closing the cycle” in the hatchery, the company was this year certified by the international organisation Friend of the Sea (www.friendofthesea.org).
Paula Catchpole: paula_catchpole@bigpond.com or 0407 532 103
Million Dollar Spa near Completion
The Harmony Hill Wellness and Organic Spa Retreat in southern Tasmania is nearing completion, and will open mid November.
The $1.2 million spa and wellness retreat is designed to heal people inside and out, with three, five and 10-day programs in Detox, Relax or Re-Vibe, as well as full-day programs including pick-up and drop-off from your hotel.
Book until end of November for 20% off a $698 Getaway Retreat. The Retreat special will cost $558.00 per person twin share and includes airport pick up, a one hour body class, spa cuisine lunch, one hour spa treatment, one hour body massage and one night luxury accommodation including breakfast.
Tasmanian Craft Fair
Australia’s premier arts and crafts event, the Tasmanian Craft Fair, will be held on the weekend of October 30-November 2 (2009). Spread over 13 different venues in the picturesque township of Deloraine in northern Tasmania, about 200 exhibitors will display and sell their finest wares and share their techniques in this annual event.
This year’s theme is Glass Art, with the Centre of Excellence exhibition, Furnace: Contemporary Australian Art Glass, curated by Douglas McManus, a lecturer at Melbourne’s RMIT University. The exhibition will highlight Australian artists working with glass media who produce sculptural, installation and object-based forms.
Melbourne-based glass blower Pauline Delaney will host workshops throughout the Fair on glass bead making. These one-hour workshops will show you how to make two blown glass beads which you can use for jewellery, decoration or any purpose.
The Tasmanian Craft Fair is an annual not-for-profit event conducted by the Rotary Club of Deloraine. In the 28 years the Craft Fair has been held, more than $2 million has been raised to fund a variety of community projects.
This year’s Craft Fair will also feature an expanded gourmet food area showcasing the state’s finest producers as well as a display by Tasmanian Micro Brewers.
More Events:
Hobart Beerfest
Hobart’s annual Tasmanian Beerfest, which attracted 9,000 people last year, has this year grown to a two-day event. New organisers Adrian Charlesworth and Ben Hickey say the occasion will emphasise the discovery, or, rediscovery, of the diversity of beer, including the products of Tasmanian micro-breweries, as well as fruit beers from Europe. The November 13-14 event will be held at Hobart’s Princes Wharf.
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