The special corners of Tasmania that keep them coming back

WHILE Tasmania appears to be benefiting from a tourist boom, there have been wide-ranging discussions as to whether the influx of visitors will have an adverse effect.

It’s a balancing act. We need the visitors and the numbers have to be managed to ease the risk of overloading infrastructure and degrading natural assets.

As a Tasmanian through and through, now living in Victoria, I get back home at every opportunity and take an active interest in what’s happening in the state.

On a recent two-week visit I had the pleasure of being joined by two good friends from Perth, Western Australia, and Melbourne, who came down for a few days.

Both these gents, Phil and Sylvain, have travelled the world and have had highpowered roles. Before the visit I was exposed to the usual Tasmanian jokes such as, do we need a passport, can we get a good coffee, on what side of the road do you drive.

On arrival in Hobart on a wintry and blustery evening they were exposed to a rowdy Irish night at the New Sydney Hotel, with an introduction to typical Tasmanian hospitality at its best, around a roaring wood fire with engaging company and conversation.

The following day saw leisurely winery visits to Coal Valley Vineyard and Riversdale for a tasting or two and a great lunch, before dropping in to Richmond for a late afternoon tea. At this stage the visitors started to mellow and spoke in glowing terms of the friendlessness, helpfulness, the quality of the food, wine and service.

To finish the night, we had a last-minute stop at the Eleventh Order Brewery and Wine Bar in New Norfolk for a cleansing locally brewed ale where Phil and Frenchman Sylvain were overwhelmed by the friendliness and hospitality.

Meeting with my family and friends, they were welcomed with open arms, and treated as family.

The next day, they had the obligatory cold beer and history lesson and tour at New Norfolk’s Bush Inn courtesy of the publican, then same again at the Gretna Green Hotel at Gretna, where the visitors were suitably impressed with the origins of the surrounding area and the significance of the pubs in the community.

With time running out, Salamanca Place, Mona, Mt Wellington and the streetside cafes of North Hobart were visited. Both friends have returned home with a totally different perspective of Tasmania and Tasmanians.

They will no doubt be espousing the beauty, hospitality, service, food and

Word of mouth is hard to quantify, but it is gold to country towns, says Steve Balmforth

wine as well as the hidden gems to their wide network of friends and colleagues.

This is a factor that is very difficult for Tourism Tasmania to quantify, because this type of word of mouth recommendation and publicity is not captured in any surveys or questionnaire.

One cannot overstate the value of these types of visits, return visits and recommendations.

The major tourist attractions are doing a great job for Tasmania.

With the influx of 63 cruise boats in the cruise season into Hobart, these venues will do well in capturing a slice of the tourist dollar.

However, let’s not forget the small country towns and all that they have to offer, but which are somewhat left off the visitors’ bucket list.

As long as infrastructure isn’t overloaded, these communities would welcome a regular flow of tourists and that would generate additional opportunities. Sadly that is lacking in many small towns throughout the state.

I’m sure my mates, Phil and Sylvain will return with friends to visit the Bush Inn, Gretna Green Hotel and Eleventh Order Brewery, however these venues are not high profile on the tourist guide map.

While focus appears to be on the high-end markets, with 4000 new hotel beds planned for Tasmania, don’t forget the little town cafes, bakeries and pubs that don’t get the highvolume traffic that the larger cities attract.

The experiences of Phil and Sylvain were highlighted with their parting comments along the lines of Tasmania’s unique, old-fashioned hospitality, the friendliness and beauty of just a small part of the state.

They said these would lure them back and they promised to sing the praises of Tasmania. Tasmanian born and raised Steve Balmforth OAM is a writer, photographer and longtime supporter of the Derwent Valley community. He now lives in Melbourne.