Discovered, we must plan

IS IT any wonder that Tasmanians are being told to be willing to share our secret spots — with our state being named in pretty well every international list of places to visit this year. The latest is the National

Geographic’s annual list of “best trips”, which spruiks Tasmania’s “raw natural beauty, which it owes largely to a combination of its remoteness … and the enduring green spirit of its half a million or so residents”. It goes on: “Swathed in 2000-year-old trees and home to reallife devils … it’s the stuff outdoor adventures are made of. After making the trek here, visitors find that most of Tassie’s attractions are surprisingly accessible. No matter where you base yourself, opportunities to become immersed in nature are never far — nearly half the state is designated national park, after all.”

It sounds pretty alluring doesn’t it. And so with reviews like this in publications with some of the biggest audiences in the world, it is hardly a shock to also hear this week from a leading local tourist academic that her research has found many Tasmanians are struggling to share their island state: “That’s the big pressure point,” University of Tasmania associate professor Anne Hardy told our reporter Amanda Ducker. “Many Tasmanians have grown up really valuing space and solitude, and now that Tasmania has become a popular tourist destination it’s causing a lot of angst for some people.”

Meanwhile we also reveal today that we can expect interstate migrants to continue to flock here, with

THE BENEFITS OF IMMIGRATION AND TOURISM ARE HUGE. BUT WE SHOULD BE DEMANDING MUCH MORE OF OUR GOVERNMENTS AND COUNCILS.

research finding that our climate is the major factor in encouraging people to move across Bass Strait. Researcher Nick Osbaldiston from James Cook University explained: “People are looking for a cooler climate, a climate where they actually have four seasons.” And Dr Osbaldiston said a perception that our state does not offer stable work is no deterrent.

Enter Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, who makes the very relevant observation that the study also confirmed that Tassie’s South was where most new migrants were moving to — and so “responsible State and Federal Government policy and resources must respond to this trend”, instead of the majority of the cash being allocated to the two marginal electorates in the North and North West.

She’s right. We all should be demanding a much stronger focus from all levels of government in helping the rapidly growing Greater Hobart region deal with population growth, alongside the need to ensure we are properly prepared to deal with tourism growth. Having to share our secret spots is one thing. Having tourists being forced to toilet on the side of the road due to lack of facilities is quite another.

We have been talking about this for a long time now in this column; this need to better vision, plan and deliver for what’s over the horizon. That’s the only way we will be able to have any chance of protecting all the things that make our place and our lifestyle so special as the word gets out. We can’t stop people coming here, and neither should we. The benefits of immigration and tourism are huge. But we should be demanding much more of our governments and councils in terms of delivering the infrastructure and services required.

Responsibility for all editorial comment is taken by the Editor, Chris Jones, Level 1, 2 Salamanca Square, Hobart, TAS, 7000