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Fairy Penguins Tasmania (Image) Did you know that Fairy Penguin poo sparkles? This is due to small undigested fish scales and is just one of the many fascinating characteristics of this delightful little creature. On our tours up the east coast of Tasmania we stay overnight in the small coastal town of Bicheno. Just on dark, with a red filtered light, we take our guests down to the beach to spot the procession of Penguins coming ashore for a night of rest. We generally expect to see at least one and often several coming home to the safety of their...

Matthew Brady Bushranger (Image)   Tasmania has had its fair share of interesting characters, from the utterly detestable and infamous to the resourceful and visionary. Matthew Brady could probably be best described as unique. Born in Manchester in 1799 he was only 21 when sentenced to 7 years transportation to Van Diemens Land. Little is known about his early life but it is thought he was a gentlemen’s servant or groom on account of his obvious education. Brady was convicted of stealing a basket along with butter, bacon, sugar and rice. Some reports suggest he was convicted of being a forger...

Aurora Australis / The Southern Lights (Image)   Unless you live in Antarctica, Tasmania is the arguably the best place in the Southern Hemisphere to witness this elusive and ethereal light show. All you need for a sighting is a broad horizon, away from artificial light and good timing. The suns behaviour dictates the timing of the Aurora. Space weather maps, long range forecasts and other prediction tools can help, but we can only be relatively certain of a display 3 days out. Even then you need the right climatic and atmospheric conditions, low cloud cover and the moon to...

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 and paper industries - an...