There’s no escaping our appeal

Tassie has attracted countless visitors from around the world, but one in particular has piqued the interest of writer Ian Cole

WE are often reminded of famous people who have come from Tasmania.

Names such as Errol Flynn and Princess Mary of Denmark plus international sports stars such as Ricky Ponting and Ariarne Titmus can quickly spring to mind.

But what about famous names who have come to Tassie for a visit, for a whole variety of reasons?

For sure, these days well-known bands, musicians, entertainers, sportspeople and others all arrive to perform.

But there are a few standout visitors in our earlier history.

In the past, a number of luminaries have visited who are now household names. Let me choose a few.

Among them was evolutionist Charles Darwin, who had a good look at our flora and fauna in 1836, besides spending his 27th birthday here.

Somewhat later, acclaimed novelist Mark Twain arrived on a lecture tour to Australia and was possibly more impressed with Hobart than was Charles Darwin.

The first famous visitor many baby boomers may remember was the arrival of Queen Elizabeth in 1954. As kids we welcomed her with much enthusiasm and flagwaving.

But my favourite visitor to Tasmania was well before this time and well before my time. It is the legendary visit of world-famous escapologist Harry Houdini.

If this visit really did occur in the early 20th century, then I wish I’d been there.

The story goes that he visited and performed at Zeehan.

Why Zeehan, for heaven’s sake? At the turn of the century Zeehan was the third-biggest town in Tasmania with a reputed population of between 8000 and 10,000 people. It was put on the map due to the discovery of silver in the surrounding areas, so the town prospered, having a few banks and quite a few hotels.

Houdini’s visit is disputed, but other disputed stories also exist of visits to Zeehan by Dame Nellie Melba and even the great Caruso, but it’s the Houdini visit I want to be true.

Witnesses, whose evidence is often doubted, claim he walked a tightrope from the Gaiety Theatre in Zeehan across the old train line to a nearby hotel.

At one stage Houdini was the highest-paid actor in vaudeville and there were also claims he made the first plane flight in Australia, at Diggers Rest in Victoria in 1910.

His visit to Tassie, if it did occur, would have been a sensation at the time.

Back in 2006, we had an Australian tourist slogan asking the world: “Where the bloody hell are you?’’

I can only imagine international performer and world traveller Harry Houdini, the morning after his tightrope walk, waking up and looking at the four walls of his Zeehan hotel and thinking: “Where the bloody hell am I?’’