Tasmania – Events, Deals and Self Drives for 2009
A Sampling of Events: June - October 2009
July 9 - 12, 2009 Festival of Voices - Hobart
Australia’s only annual choral festival, Festival of Voices, is a four day mid winter gathering of singers and a celebration of the human voice. The festival brings together singers from across the nation in four days of workshops with inspiring teachers as well as concerts, performances and vocal camaraderie.
http://www.festivalofvoices.com.au
July 12, 2009 Chocolate Winterfest - Latrobe
Chocolate Winterfest, held in Latrobe, Tasmania, celebrates chocolate, food and wine. It is no coincidence that the Latin name for cocoa, from which chocolate is made, translates as “food of the gods”. Visitors can enjoy a number of events on the central northern coast of Tasmania at this unique celebration. http://www.chocolatewinterfest.com.au.
October 3 - 4, 2009 Spring Tulip Festival - Hobart
This weekend of music, dance, fun and, of course, tulips, is Tasmania’s spring celebration. Diverse food stalls offer traditional Dutch treats plus Swiss, Indian, Chilean, German and Asian foods as well as contemporary Tasmanian produce. http://www.rtbg.tas.gov.au.
October 10 - 12, 2009 Freycinet Lodge Challenge - Freycinet Peninsula
The Freycinet Lodge Challenge takes racers through Tasmania’s iconic coastal wilderness and the grandeur of The Hazards and Wineglass Bay. It also boasts a US$12,000 prize. Competitors run Freycinet National Park’s trails and beaches, kayak the turquoise water beneath The Hazards, bike quiet country roads and bush tracks. There is also an option to do one day of the challenge for those with limited time. http://www.tasultra.org/.
North Americans interested in receiving a FREE Tasmania Holiday Planner to learn more about Tasmania, can e-mail karen.stotz@tourism.tas.gov.au or order a copy direct at www.DiscoverTasmania.com. For additional information on travel to Tasmania, visit www.DiscoverTasmania.com or contact your local travel planner to book your vacation.
Tasmania’s Priory Country Lodge on T+L “It List”
The Priory Country Lodge has been listed in U.S. Travel + Leisure’s “It List 2009″ of best new hotels around the globe. The list is chosen by Travel + Leisure editors, and is one of the most influential directories of the world’s best new hotels.
Located in historic Bothwell, just a 90 minute drive from Hobart, The Priory Country Lodge offers sumptuous accommodations in a restored Tudor House built in 1848. The four bedroom establishment offers en-suite marble bathrooms, several formal living rooms and a country kitchen where you can enjoy produce from the local area prepared by the Lodge’s personal chef. The interiors have been decorated using exquisite antiques, fabrics and art work from around Tasmania. Day tours are also available to try your hand at fly fishing. www.thepriorycountrylodge.com
Delta Airlines starts service to Australia in July 2009
Delta Airlines will begin daily service between Los Angeles and Sydney on July 1, 2009, offering a launch fare of USD $499 for travel through September 21, 2009. The flight will originate in Atlanta, providing continued service on the same aircraft to Sydney for easy onward connection to both Launceston and Hobart, Tasmania on one of Australia’s domestic airlines. http://www.delta.com/.
V Australia signs interline agreement with Delta Airlines
Delta Air Lines and new Australian airline V Australia have signed an Australia-U.S. interline agreement offering seamless travel on the networks of each carrier and across the trans-Pacific route. Effective immediately, the agreement allows travellers to purchase a single ticket from their Travel Agent, V Australia or Delta, for travel between the U.S. and Australia on either carrier. http://www.vaustralia.com.au.
Tasmania’s Tarraleah Lodge receives preferred status by Virtuoso
The Lodge at Tarraleah, a nine-room luxury boutique hotel located in the highland wilderness of Tasmania, has received “preferred status” by Virtuoso, the world’s leading travel network. This five-star lodging is the first and only accommodation in Tasmania to earn this exclusive designation.
Originally built in the 1930’s by Tasmanian craftsmen in an Art Deco style, The Lodge at Tarraleah was once frequented by business elite pioneering hydro electricity in the region. Today, the renovated rooms feature silk comforters and mohair throws over bespoke king-size beds. Original Tasmanian art bedecks the walls and the bathrooms feature deluxe spa tubs and heated floors. Cozy fireplaces and cliff-top hot tubs offer relaxation after a day of fly-fishing wild trout, tracking wombats, guided hikes or golfing Tasmania’s highest fairways and greens.
At night, the Lodge’s 300+ bottle Wall of Wine featuring and 200+ bottle whiskey library provides the perfect pre-dinner drink before feasting on bountiful Tasmanian produce. For an unconventional night cap, end the evening with a round of night golf in the company of wallabies. http://www.tarraleahlodge.com/.
Saffire Coastal Retreat to open December 2009
Pure Tasmania, the largest tourism operator in Tasmania, has unveiled Saffire, the soon-to-be-opened US$21 million coastal sanctuary at Coles Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula. Opening December 2009, the property will compare with the finest five-star experiences in the world, boasting a world-class day spa and gym, guest lounge, premium meeting facilities. The fine dining restaurant will showcase fresh Tasmanian produce paired with exceptional.
This eco-resort will cater to a maximum of 40 guests, accommodated in 20 free-standing luxury suites. There will be three room types - 6 Luxury Suites, 10 Deluxe Suites, and 4 Premium Suites, costing from US$600 to $1,805 per suite, per night. Each suite will offer ocean views, designer bathrooms, private decks, king size beds, separate lounge areas and state-of-the-art audio, visual and communication technology. Premium Suites will also feature private plunge pools. www.saffire-freycinet.com.au.
Tasmania Travel Packages
Discover Tasmania with Swain Tours through value-added 8 nights
from $1,120 per person, double occupancy. Domestic flights and ground only.
Swain Tours offers a free room upgrade on the entire eight-night Discover Tasmania self-drive package booked before June 31, 2009, with savings up to U.S.$400, per person. Tasmania is ideal for a touring vacation with quiet, easy to navigate roads and a diverse array of experiences, all within easy driving distance.
Swain Tours’ Discover Tasmania package includes:
• Domestic air to and from Tasmania from Australia’s mainland
• Nine days Budget car rental
• Two nights at Cradle Mountain Lodge or Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village
• Two nights on Tasmania’s dramatic west coast at Strahan Village
• Two nights in Tasmania’s capital city Hobart at Leisure Inn Macquarie, Lenna, or the
Henry Jones Art Hotel
• 2 nights at Freycinet Lodge adjacent to Tasmania’s renowned coastal national park
• 2 nights in Melbourne on Australia’s mainland for a complementing Australian urban experience
Package pricing includes domestic air within Australia and ground transportation. For more information: Swain Tours at (800) 227-9246 or
visit: http://www.swaintours.com
Springboard Vacations 8-day Essential Tasmania self-drive experience
from $695 per person, double occupancy, ground-only.
Springboard Vacations has created the essential self-drive vacation itinerary, taking in all of Tasmania’s iconic experiences. Begin in Hobart to explore the city’s buzzing docks, cosmopolitan art galleries and restaurants. Drive north to Bicheno and become immersed in the beauty of the Tasmanian coastal wilderness on the Freycinet Peninsula. Next, experience the romantic isolation of a private cottage to take in the grandeur of Cradle Mountain Lake St. Clair National Park. On the last night in historic Launceston, enjoy the city’s renown dining scene as well as cultural attractions such as the Wooden Design Centre and Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.
Land only package includes:
• 7 days compact rental car (automatic, air-conditioned, unlimited mileage)
• 2 nights in Hobart in a downtown Harbor View room
• 2 nights in Bicheno in a one bedroom apartment including breakfast
• 2 nights at Cradle Mountain Wilderness Lodge in a one bedroom cottage
• 1 night in Launceston
Package pricing does not include flights. Valid for travel through September 30, 2009; add US$25 pp for travel October 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010. For more information: Springboard Vacations at (866) 447-7746 or visit www.springboardvacations.com