Tassie On My Mind, June 2009
- Awards for Tasmania left right and centre!
Welcome to the June 2009 issue of Tassie On My Mind, a free monthly newsletter keeping you informed of the latest Tasmania travel-related news.
Winter has officially begun and no less in Tasmania! On the last day of autumn (31 May), the top of Mount Wellington recorded the coldest place in Australia, at -0.4C!
This issue:
- Tasmania and travel awards made for each other
- Softer to bite but not as good-tasting?
- Tasmanians win VE+T produce awards
- Rock lobsters to the rescue!
- Tasmania - top place to go in the whole country
Tasmania and travel awards made for each other
These Tasmanian tourism ventures are in the finals of the 2009 Gourmet Traveller Travel Awards:
- Cradle Mountain walk - Best Adventure Tourism category finalist
- Henry Jones Art Hotel and Islington, both in Hobart - Best Small Luxury Hotel category finalists
- Cradle Mountain and Freycinet lodges - Best Lodge category finalists
- Maria Island Walk and Freycinet Experience Walk - Best Eco-Tourism Experience category finalists
I am a great lover of walks as you would be able to tell from my travel tales about
Cradle Mountain
,
Freycinet
and
Maria Island.
Hence, I am particularly happy to see these magnificent locations get such well deserved recognition.
Softer to bite but not as good-tasting?
Cadbury has decided to add vegetable fat to its chocolate to make it "slightly softer to bite". They claim that there is no compromise on the "great taste of Australia's favorite chocolate".
However, angry chocolate fans disagree. Some are protesting the changes to the point where they have declared they will not be buying Cadbury chocs anymore!
No comment from me since I am not a great lover of chocolate - I'm happy to just take it as it comes (like at Easter for example).
Why not
visit the Cadbury Chocolate Factory in Hobart
and get the low-down for yourself? I may be a part-time lover of chocolate but I definitely rate it highly as one of the best winter indulgences around.
Tasmanians win VE+T produce awards
2009 Vogue Entertaining + Travel Produce medals go to:
FROM THE EARTH category
- Ashbolt olive oil and elderflower products
- Frogmore Creek garlic
- Lentara Grove olive oil
FROM THE DAIRY category
- Bruny Island Cheese Co
- John Bignall Tasmanian Highland Cheese
FROM THE SEA category
- Woodbridge Smokehouse Smoked Ocean Trout
- Spring Bay Mussels
And last but not least...
For food heritage and sustainability
Spring Bay Mussels also recently received the coveted Friend of the Sea certification for "outstanding environmental performance to all the required standards" in relation to their Australian Blue Mussels.
I could not put it any better than Phil Lamb of Spring Bay Seafoods:
"This is a very clear message for our customers, our suppliers and our neighbors in regard to the commitment we have to the environment and sustainability. It is also a reflection of the beautiful and pristine marine environment in which we live, work and enjoy”.
Rock lobsters to the rescue!
What can be done about sea urchins stripping coral reefs, depriving fish of habitat?
University of Tasmania scientists are busy implementing what looks like a promising solution - let lobsters loose on the urchins. Believe it or not, the lobsters actually eat the urchins!
Already, about 750 lobsters have been released in urchin infested areas at St. Helen's on the north-east coast of Tasmania. The results are looking good. More lobsters have been released off Tasmania's south-east coast.
The lobsters are tagged and dyed so that local fishermen will know not to remove them. It's terrific that fishermen are supportive of the initiative, recognising that the urchins could also be a threat to the fishing industry.
Whatever is going on at the University of Tasmania, they sure have some brilliant scientists!
Go Uni of Tassie!
Go lobsters!
Go Tassie fishermen!
Go away urchins!
What a wonderful natural solution to a devastating problem.
Tasmania - top place to go in the whole country
This was announced back in January but it's worth re-visiting.
In the New York Times list of 'The Top 44 Places to Go in 2009', you will find only one Australian destination - Tasmania!
Special mention was made of:
- Tasmania being where you'll find some of the best wines in the world
- Moorila Estate, which is not only a winery, but also a micro-brewery, a restaurant and a museum
- Mona Foma, Tasmania's new festival of music and art
So make sure you're one of those who visited Tasmania in the year it was rated a top place to go!
Well that's it for this issue. Back to checking out how winter continues to kick off around here... See you in July!
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