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SEVEN iconic Tasmanian attractions have been short-listed in a nationwide vote to determine the 7 Wonders of Australia.
Port Arthur Historic Site, Cradle Mountain, Wineglass Bay, The Nut, The Bay of Fires, The Tarkine and Tasman Island are among 50 nominees across the country vying for the prestigious crown.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to vote in the Experience Oz initiative, which is expected to be Australia’s largest online travel poll.
The campaign has already received 50,000 votes and the Tasmanian sites are facing tough competition from places like the Blue Mountains, the Great Barrier Reef, Wave Rock, Uluru, The 12 Apostles and many more.
“Tasmania has some of the most visually stunning and pristine wilderness in the world, so it’s great to hear of Tasmania’s nominations,” Tourism Tasmania chief executive John Fitzgerald said.
“These iconic sites showcase the diverse and unique landscapes and heritage found in our special island state, all very accessible from our cities and towns.”
Port Arthur marketing and Historic Site communica- tions manager Jennifer Fitzpatrick said it was exciting to be part of the campaign and she hoped the site got “lots of votes”.
“We’ve been encouraging everyone who comes through here and people who know and love Port Arthur to vote for us,” she said.
She said Port Arthur was one of Australia’s best-known attractions, a “beautiful site with a brutal history” and it was one of the 11 world heritage Australian convict sites.
Port Arthur tour guide of three years, Yan Zhao, said “of course” people should vote for the site.
“I think people really like it here, it’s also very beautiful and there’s lots of Australian history,” she said.
Experience Oz marketing manager Matt Hobbs said the campaign was designed to shed light on the importance of domestic travel and conservation of Australia’s “wonders”.
“People have been making lists of the top icons of Australia for years, but they have always come from the, often biased, perspective of one writer — our distribution network allows us to get a massive sample size of Aussies’ opinions,” he said.
Public voting closes on October 7 before an expert panel of judges from Australian tourism, conservation and notfor-profit organisations select the seven wonders from among the 20 attractions with the most votes.
jack.paynter@news.com.au