Wild island open to luxury flights

NEWLY approved helicopter tours to Tasman Island on the East Coast will open access to one of the state’s most spectacular but least-visited locations, its operators say.

Hobart helicopter operators Rotorlift yesterday launched the luxury tours, which will whisk customers along some of the state’s most picturesque coastal scenery for a tour of the uninhabited 1.2 square kilometre island off the tip of the Tasman Peninsula.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a picnic on top of the 240m high flat-topped island, and at the right time of year, will have a bird’s-eye view of the Sydney-Hobart yachts sailing by.

Rotorlift owner Allana Corbin said operating trips to the island had been a dream long held by her and her late husband Roger.

“I’ve flown down there and landed at Tasman Island, since pretty well day one of arriving here in Tasmania,” she said.

“It’s just the most spectacular amazing location and we always talked about the opportunity of one day being able to share it and making it accessible for everybody, as it should be.

“It is a bit of a trial for us and we’ve invested a lot of money into it because we feel that it’s going to be successful.”

Tasman Island, part of the Tasman National Park, is the site of an unstaffed lighthouse, a weather station and is a major breeding site for fairy prions.

Rotorlift chief executive

Susan Stanley said guests would be able to enjoy a picnic and take guided tours of the island.

“While they’re there, there are some huts that have been renovated through the Friends of Tasman Island and through some input through the Government as well.

The three-hour trips start at $990 a person.

The company has been granted an exclusive licence to operate the tours under the Government’s expressions of interest process.