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Media Releases
Piners and Miners - 6 March 2008
Australian Tourism Award for "Piners and Miners"
Tasmanian tourism operators, the Federal Group, recently received a prestigious Australian Tourism Award for Best New Tourism Development. Piners and Miners is an innovative guided tour experience on Tasmania’s west coast and is marketed under Federal Group’s multi-award winning tourism brand, Pure Tasmania.
“This award is testimony to the outstanding efforts by our dedicated operations and marketing teams in developing and delivering a truly unique product,” Federal Group’s Director of Tourism, Mr Bernard Dwyer, said. “Piners and Miners embodies the essence of the Pure Tasmania brand, delivering an enriching, authentic travel experience.”
Piners and Miners has been carefully created to highlight the West Coast of Tasmania’s natural and historical beauty – the temperate rainforests of the World Heritage Area, a long history of mining and harvesting of Huon pine, and the tenacity of the human spirit.
The engaging guided tour takes a maximum of eight guests by hi-rail (a four-wheel drive converted into a rail car) on the West Coast Wilderness Railway track. The vehicle transforms into a 4WD for the spectacular drive to the Bird River Track. Guests walk the track to Kelly Basin, site of the old copper mining port of East Pillinger, then enjoy picnic lunch featuring Tasmania’s finest food and wine, and explore the ruins before returning to Strahan by boat.
Launched in November 2005, Pure Tasmania is the Federal Group’s highly successful tourism brand, representing accommodation and experiences in the icon destinations of Strahan, Freycinet Peninsula, Cradle Mountain and Hobart. Mr Dwyer explained,
“Our aim is to attract a new type of visitor to Tasmania, one who is experience-driven and discerning, seeking unforgettable experiences and the best our State has to offer. Piners and Miners is one of many experiences Pure Tasmania is creating to stimulate new markets that have not previously been attracted to the state or to certain regions,” said Dwyer.
It was the third time in four years that a Tasmanian business has won the national award for Best New Tourism Development - following previous wins by The Henry Jones Art Hotel and Peppermint Bay.