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A Slice of Tasmania's History  Tasmania's pulp and paper industry to thrive needs a guaranteed supply of water, electricity and suitable, cheap raw material. With abundant water, hydro power and millions of hectares of forests, Tasmania is well placed for such an industry. Early hardwood timbers were not as profitable as pulping material. Advances in technology changed this and Tasmania’s pulp & paper industry began to flourish from the late 1920’s. Large forest ‘concessions’ to ensure continuous and consistent supply were needed to induce industry interests. This is the primary reason many places in the world do not have pulp...

Tasmania's Derwent Valley Just an hour’s drive from Hobart in the Derwent Valley is the Largest Hops producer in the State. Bushy Park had its first block planted in 1864 by the Shoebridge family and is still in business today. Their success caught on and within 10 years there were 70 other growers in the region, with Hops growing on 447 hectares. The Derwent Valley was then and still is one of the biggest Hops growing regions in Australia. Hops belong to the Cannabinaceae family, which also happens to include Cannabis (hemp and marijuana). The plant grows like a vine...

My favourite animal you may get to see while traveling in Tasmania is the Short Nosed Echidna. At both Bonorong and East Coast wildlife parks you can see these lovely creatures during their daily feeding. The Tasmanian Short Beaked Echidna is smaller and furrier than other Echidnas and is only found in Tasmania. In the warmer months of Summer & Autumn we are often lucky enough to spot these fellows in the wild.  This photo is of an incredibly rare White Echidna that we spotted in the wild recently on our tour just near Cradle Mountain. At Fun Tassie Tours...

Richmond Bridge Tasmania (Image) A Tasmanian Must-see Any person arriving in Tasmania via Hobart really should plan for a short day trip to historic Richmond. It is located about 24km northeast of Hobart in the Coal River Valley region. The district was explored weeks after the establishment of the first British settlement in 1803. Finding deposits of coal and fertile soils suitable for farming, the area was developed as a pioneering district. Land grants were released as early as 1808 and the successful farming of wheat followed. By 1815 a flour mill had been built to process the wheat and...