Tasmania for business or pleasure

Take a Holiday in Tasmania.

What a great trip, head off to Tasmania for a month, escape the northern winter for some sunshine and warmth.

First point of call as always is one of the bigger city airports, Tullamarine the big international airport in Melbourne. What a welcome – what a shit hole and what a first impression, for tourist arriving in Melbourne, if you arrive in Istanbul, Singapore Oslo or other international destinations it’s a WOW, arrive in Melbourne what a first impression welcome to Australia, walk around on the dirty sticky carpet, enjoy the 1970 worn out and patched up architecture. If ever there was a need of creating a welcome impression Tullamarine, is it!

The next step to Tasmania isn’t easy either, flying into Launceston or Hobart is a better financial option with prices as low as 1/3 the price to Devonport or Burnie.

If you manage to get a seat on the Devonport plane, be fashion conscious wear your best yellow high vis work attire, just so you’ll fit in. The fly in workers take up half the seats.

The boat into Devonport “now there are two” departing now from Geelong now is another option also overpriced, it’s easier to swim over your caravan. Traveling around, a bit of a road trip! Take a hire car, during the peak season they are like Tasmanian tigers. “There’s always someone who still hopes they exist”.

Tourism is one of Tasmania’s greatest assets but transport to and from the island hamper its expansion. But not all Tasmanians want tourism, all those mainlanders and foreigners, why do they come here? What do they want here? It’s changing slowly but this means slow.

Cressy, home of Lamb of Tasmania.

Quality Tasmanian lamb.

But none the less it’s a beautiful island and well worth a visit, we moved around a bit, through the midlands with scenic stops in Longford and Cressy, the gateway to Tasmania's central plateau and lakes area.

In Cressy we visited Tasmanian Quality Meat and their Lamb of Tasmania operation, a giant among Tasmania’s meat processing plants and the only sheep abattoir on the island. Hopefully we can coordinate some export from there.

street sign Cressy Street sign in Cressy a rural town in Tasmania's northern midlands, surrounded not only by great fishing, but with thousands of lamb

Tasmania's quality wine industry

The Coal valley

Further down south we detoured through the Coal valley to Richmond surrounded by vineyards, the historic and picturesque town of Richmond is full of vineyards, colonial buildings, shops, history and tourists, something for everyone.

The Coal Valley recognised as one of Tasmania's prime wine regions with many acclaimed cellars.

Tasmania has established wine regions and supports a rapidly expanding wine industry, we're producing great white wines, rieslings, savuignon blanc, pinot grigio & sparkling wines and reds as well especially pinot noir. Some of Tasmania's wines turn up all around the world, grab them if you see them. Wine is a relative new industry in Tasmania and so the vineyards start up costs are often reflected in the price.

Tasmania also boasts well merited whiskey and gin industries with many tasting shops and distilleries to interrupt ones travels.

 

 

stone bridge at Richmond Tasmania Richmond Bridge, Australia's oldest stone bridge, convict built and opened in 1825
pooley barrels Pooley Vineyard one of many Vinyard in the coal valley punching abovt its weight.

Hobart, Tasmania's capital.

Hobart, deep water port on the Derwent river.

On to Hobart, they’ve fixed it up! The downtown area looks smart it’s become Australia’s trendiest most southern capital city. I really like Hobart especially around the waterfront, I believe the waterfront areas always give an indication on how well the town or city is faring and Hobart is happening. Winter from experience in Hobart can be windy and chilly with the roaring 40’s doing their worst.

Cascade Brewery, Australias longest running brewery, of course now swallowed up by a multinational beer company, but the ever ongoing debate continues Cascade in the south and Boags in the north, a small island with two great beers, just goes to show how good the water is, but why would one drink it.

cascade brewery in Hobart Cascade brewery in Hobart from 1824

A market leader

Tas Live Abalone

We dropped in to look at Tas Live Abalone with an assortment of abalone products and sea cucumbers destined for the Chinese market. Bus loads of asian tourists drop by and purchase dried, frozen, live and processed abalone, sea cucumbers and even dried fish air bladders to take home with them.

Abalone is a special shellfish synonymic to Tasmania, it should be on every half decent restaurant menu in the state, and every half decent Tasmanian chef should have a signature Abalone dish but it takes time. I'm sure even if it was on the menu many of the locals wouldn't order it anyway. w

sea cucumbers for sale Dried sea cucumbers at the self service station

Tasman Sea salt

Harvesting the ocean

We stayed outside of Hobart and moved further up the East coast, great summer weather, be careful of the sun if you’re new to Tasmania.

We stopped at Little Swanport, there’s not much happening here, but we wanted to look at the Tasman Sea Salt factory one of Tasmania’s growing locally produced “gourmet” products these products are being a developed as brands that strengthen Tasmania’s renounced foodie image. Through the efforts of these local entrepreneurs, they’re making their way on to the export market, a fantastic effort for all involved.

Apart from their natural salt Tasman Salt have three additional flavours.

Pepperberry, a Tasmanian native plant with a small leathery skinned dark red berry that tastes somewhat peppery with a plumy Szechuan pepper aftertaste.

A smoked salt, flavoured with Tasmanian oak, obviously we don't have much oak in Tasmania, someone came up with the idea to call our local eucalyptus oak to make it easier to sell. "and we all bought it"

Wakame sea salt, wakame arrived in Tasmania in the ballast and bilge water of Japaneese fishing boats, it now grows wild here and we sell it back to them.

Tasman salt selection Light soft flakes direct from the sea, full of natural nutrients.

Along the coast

Tasmania's east coast

We stayed over in a seaside town called Swansea and ate at the Waterloo, a motel stuck in a 1970’s time warp, Jimmy Hendrix and Procul harem coming out of the speakers, it was all your designer, stylist’s nightmare, except the food, this was easily the best we ate in Tasmania, fantastic. Kudos to the chef.

spikey bridge Spikey bridge, build it up to a certain height so the sheep can't jump over it then cement in some standing stegosaurus like rocks along the bridge to impede the Frosby floppers
boat harbour beach Tasmania is surrounded by little gems like this beach, the water is not as warm as it looks, uncrowded and picturesque

Freycinet National Park

Tasmania's East coast

Further north to Freycinet national park and wine glass bay, scenery in world class a bit of a hike and a fantastic view.

One would consider wineglass bay to be named after it's natural shape but it was habit of hunting whales into the bay and slaughtering them that turned the water blood red where the name came from, probably shiraz.

Just around the corner from the national park is Coles Bay an idyllic seaside town kind of a place one wants to buy into on your first impression. I wonder what it’s like in the winter. Further north to Bicheno and who wouldn’t want to live here, surf beaches and vineyards all along the coast, a hidden gem at every turn. Then further on to Scamander before heading back to the midlands and NW coast.

 

freycinet national park Freycinet's wine glass bay, scenic Tasmania at its best.

Tasmania's north west coast & beyond

Go west

Heading out west from our base we came to Stanley another of Tasmania’s picturesque colonial towns, Stanley is dominated by the nut an old volcanic plug. Stanley is also the home port to Tasmania’s west coast fishing fleet. We visited the extremely interesting Three Friends Abalone farm, another of these iconic Tasmanian industries that are carving their own niche through hard work and belief in themselves, further west is the home of Cape Grim beef, grass fed Angus sold through-out the world. And of course, our southern rock lobster. A fantastic product from our cold clean water.

The north west corner of Tasmania and West coast is a rough and rugged environment that produces some prime produce.

 

crayfish lunch Lunch in Stanley. Locally we call them crayfish, internationally called rock lobster, these are the best in the world from the cold nutrient rich oceans.
hybrid Abalone at Three Friends. Harvest ready Abalone at three friends abalone farm.

We had great weather, And we picked up some business contacts that were hoping to connect into Dubai and Scandinavia.

 

The world is a small place. Get out and experience it

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