Hello
Tassie On My Mind, August 2014
- great things
Welcome to the August 2014 issue of Tassie On My Mind, a free monthly newsletter keeping you informed of the latest news on what makes Tasmania such an attractive travel destination.
Great things take place, or are initiated in Tasmania - better beer, educational programs, and so much more...
Read on to see what I mean...
This issue:
- Great Beer
- Great Education
- Great Tasmanian Devil
- Great Plays
- Great Music and Dance
Great Beer
Beer lovers! Do you know what you go for in a beer? Do you have a favourite beer?
Good beer producers would want to know the answers to those questions, don't you think?
At the University of Tasmania at least, a team of chemists and biologists have formed a beer investigation unit, led by chemistry Associate Professor Robert Shellie.
In collaboration with Tasmania’s largest hop producer Hop Products Australia, the "beer detectives" have been tasked with tracing beer flavours all the way to their source.
According to Professor Shellie, hop flavouring used to be all about bitterness, but now:
"...there is more emphasis on aroma... Everybody is looking for something unique."
Hop Products have planted out hundreds of hop varieties with known genetic provenance. Over the next 3 years, the beer investigation unit plan to turn these hops into beer, document the hop flavour compounds found in the beers and conduct taste
tests.
Professor Shellie said the results would guide the selection and breeding of hop varieties for the development of new beers which have distinctive and desirable flavours.
Exciting times ahead, eh beer lovers?
Great Education
Have you hear of the Out of the Wilderness program? A Tasmania education initiative, it provides students with engaging hands-on, on-ground and interactive online learning experiences.
The program came about thanks to the Bookend Trust, a not-for-profit education initiative that seeks to inspire students and their communities to consider careers connected with the environment. The Bookend Trust is hosted by the University of Tasmania and the Pennicott Foundation.
Thanks to Federal Government funding, a new project called Out of the Wilderness: Adventure Learning to engage students in on-ground science will be rolled out across Australia.
According to the Director of the Bookend Trust and Honorary Research Associate with the University, Dr Niall Doran,
"We've already engaged Tasmanian students on-ground and online with projects that explore biodiversity, coastal management, national parks, threatened species, and wilderness
survival."
"We're looking forward to expanding the reach of these projects to a national audience, starting with this year's project on Tasmanian caves and the ancient species living within them - and there's a great prize brewing to be launched for participants across Australia next month."
That's great news for students across Australia!
Great Tasmanian Devil
Unfortunately, our beloved Tasmanian Devil is not out of danger yet.
I am referring to the deadly disease that has been devastating devil populations in Tasmania.
I've just been reading about how the Devil Ark program, which is dedicated to breeding disease-free devils, is facing a financial crisis because of a recent grant knock-back.
According to the Tasmanian Government, the Devil Ark has been the main contributor to the devil insurance population, which has now grown to 600 disease-free devils across Australia.
The Save the Tasmanian devil Program has given $496,000 in grants to Devil Ark between 2010-13. Future support is still being finalised.
Tasmanian devil advocate Bruce Englefield said he was also struggling to attract funding for devils. He was unable to create the much needed enclosure for the 100 disease-
free devils remaining in the wild at Woolnorth in the state’s North West.
We can help the Tasmanian Devil too by donating to the Save the Tasmanian devil Program.
Great Plays
Have you ever watched a play? If not, a one act play would be a good way to start.
So why not attend OneFest - Hobart's One Act Play Festival coming up on 22/23 August at Hobart's historic Playhouse Theatre?
OnceFest was created in 2009 and is now a regular event on the Tasmanian theatre calendar. Each play consists of just one act with a duration of no more than 30 minutes.
At OneFest this year you will get to see a range of plays covering science fiction, comedy, drama and more. Who knows - you might want to give it a try yourself!
Cash prizes will be awarded for Best Production, Best Director, Best Male Actor, Best Female Actor, Most Promising Actor or Director, Best Original Work, plus there will be an Adjudicator's Award.
The Adjudicator will be Margaret Gillham, a member of Hobart Repertory Theatre Society, who has taught drama in Tasmanian schools for over 40 years.
Visit the OneFest website for more information.
Great Music and Dance
And now for something just a little different - the Hobart Regency Festival.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to enjoy music and dance in the time of Jane Austen? Well now's your chance to find out.
Experience vigorous and elegant dances, supper tables resplendent with delicious food, historic halls and homes, and beautiful, lively Tasmanian period music at the Folk Federation's first ever Regency festival.
The festival highlight will be the Grand Regency Ball and Harp Concert at the historic Hobart Town Hall.
Find out more at the Hobart Regency Festival Facebook page. And you do not need to have a Facebook account to be able to view this page.
Well that's it for this issue.
Wintry weather is always a great setting for a horror movie, don't you think? For those of you with a taste for horror movies, check out the Stranger
With My Face Horror Film Festival, which "explores the idea of ‘the horror within’ and promotes discussion around genre and gender, from ghost stories to gore, from art house to exploitation." For more information, visit the Stranger With My Face website.
See you in September!
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One Day In Tasmania
What if you had just one day in Tasmania? Where would you go? What would you do?
Share your dream with us.
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This is your chance. Join in the fun. Share your thoughts with us.
We all gain so much from each other's ideas.
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Share that photo with us.
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How did you manage not to scare the animal away? What did you do to prepare for the shot?
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This is your opportunity to shine. Let's share our stories around.
