Tassie On My Mind, September 2010
- Stars shine bright
Welcome to the September 2010 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.
What do I mean by "Stars shine bright"? I'm referring to tasty stars, a royal star, a couple of upper-market stars and a group of early-starter stars featured in a previous newsletter.
This issue:
- Australia's best single-malt whisky
- All right for some
- Tassie produce rules
- RoboSquad are champs again
- Mary takes a break
Plus... your chance to be a part of tasmania-attractions.com!
Australia's best single-malt whisky
Where can you find the best quality whisky producers? Scotland maybe? How about
Burnie, Tasmania?
I'm referring to Hellyers Road Distillery. In recognition of their Peated Single Malt Whisky, they have been awarded top prize by the Malt Whisky Society of Australia.
According to Mark Littler of Hellyers Road, "The significance of this award will not be lost on whisky drinkers around the globe".
What about you? Are you a whisky lover? You can
buy the whisky online at the Hellyers Road Distillery website
for AUD 90.00 (delivery within Australia).
Do you prefer vodka? Well Hellyers Road have been awarded for their vodka too. They won a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in March this year. The vodka is also available for purchase online.
Prefer something else perhaps? Read on...
All right for some
How does this sound:
- beautiful views of the River Derwent and Salamanca place
- 40 square metres of penthouse including 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, gourmet kitchen, spa and sauna
- antiques and original artworks surrounding you
You can get all this at the Admirals Penthouse II at Sullivan's Cove in Hobart for $1400 a night. And why not if you don't mind spending the money? Hope you're not thinking New Year's Eve though - they are already booked out for that night.
Or maybe you prefer something closer to a place of natural beauty like Freycinet National Park.
Described as "a luxury coastal sanctuary on Tasmania’s East Coast", Saffire is an exclusive resort located in Coles Bay. Tasmanian architects Morris Nunn and Associates have designed the buildings to reflect the surrounding natural environment as much as possible. The Hazards Mountains are framed in the main building’s roof line, and the suites below look like waves on the shore.
According to Greg Farrell of Federal Group who own Saffire, the first guests were ordinary Tasmanians celebrating special occasions such as wedding anniversaries.
Daniel Hanna of Tourism Industry Council Tasmania has noted that demand for luxury apartments in Tasmania has been on the rise.
Hmmm... As for me, I prefer to spend that kind of money in some other way in Tasmania - spread it out a bit. But for a special celebration, I might be tempted...
Tassie produce rules
Well - more confirmation that Tassie produce is pretty exceptional. Imagine a national competition for the food industry where Tasmanian producers won 14 out of the 18 "championship awards" on offer. With 961 entries from around the country, that is quite an outstanding achievement.
That's exactly what happened at the Royal Hobart Fine Food Awards.
See the list of winners of the Royal Hobart Fine Food Championship Awards.
Huon Acquaculture's Huon Banquet Slice Cold Smoked Salmon was the Champion Product in Show. According to Huon Acquaculture's Frances Bender, their smoking process was "cooler, gentler and slower" than most others and the smoky flavour permeated right through.
Tasmania has such a wide variety of high quality foods on offer, don't you think? Salmon, honey, jam, olive oil, bread, pie, chocolates, cheese and more!
RoboSquad are champs again
Do you remember RoboSquad United mentioned in the
July newsletter of Tassie On My Mind?
They are a team of Tasmanian high school students who scored big wins at RoboCup 2010 held in Singapore. (At RoboCup events, teams compete using robots they have designed, built and programmed). Well they've struck again! Last month (August 2010) they competed at the Tasmanian RoboCup State Championships held at the University of Tasmania.
This is what they achieved:
- First Place - Senior Dance Theatre
- Best Overall - All Dance (UTAS Computing Prize)
- Senior Innovation Award (UTAS School of Engineering)
Apart from their success, they had a lot of fun and enjoyed working with the robots. They must - that's why they do so well with them!
Look out for them at the National Competition to be held at Australian National University in Canberra on 18th and 19th September. Go RoboSquad United!
Mary takes a break
I suppose royals can never really take a break, can they? There are always prying eyes about.
Well
Tasmanian-born Princess Mary of Denmark
did try to have a break. She was back in Hobart spending time with her family last month. Following that she travelled to Adelaide to party at her friend's 40th birthday bash.
I believe she did succeed in enjoying some privacy as well as lovely times with family and friends. Good for her, because that's what we all like, isn't it?
She's expecting twins in a few months. That will make it a total of 4 children for her and husband Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.
Princess Mary also made the news earlier this year when she was included in the magazine
Vanity Fair's 71st Annual International Best-Dressed List.
Now prying eyes definitely helps when it comes to spotting the best-dressed!
Well that's it for this issue.
Spring is just about here. Don't you love the warmer weather? It's a great time for dreaming about luxury accommodation with some of the best views in the world, tasting fine Tasmanian produce, watching young Tassies dazzle you with their robotic talents and partying like the royals.
Whatever your plans for spring, make sure there are some firsts in there. Spring is about newness so it's only right that we should be trying some things for the first time.
I'm going to try some Tasmanian produce that I've never tasted before...
See you next month!
To contact me, click here.
Here's your chance to be a part of
Tasmania-attractions.com!
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.
If selected, your dream will appear as a page at tasmania-attractions.com
It doesn't matter if you have never been to Tasmania. I would love to hear your thoughts too. It's easy to find out about Tasmania, at tasmania-attractions.com or elsewhere.
This is your chance. Join in the fun. Share your thoughts with us.
We all gain so much from each other's ideas.
Hit us with your best shot
Your best wildlife shot, that is...
Have you ever been in just the right place at just the right time and snagged a great wildlife photo?
Share that photo with us.
We would love to see it. Not only that, we would love to get your tips on how you got the photo.
How did you manage not to scare the animal away? What did you do to prepare for the shot?
If selected, your photo and story will appear as a page at tasmania-attractions.com
This is your opportunity to shine. Let's share our stories around.
|
