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Derwent Valley Hops (Image) 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...

Short-Beaked Echidna  (Image)  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. Apart from being one of the cutest looking creatures on earth, it has some amazing and interesting adaptations that have allowed it to survive for thousands of years. The most obvious and well known adaptation is its defensive spines. When threatened the animal will...

Richmond Bridge Tasmania (Image) 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 the district soon...

Tasmania Tours 2021   Fun Tassie Tours provides the top 8 Tasmania Tours in 2021 with our most popular ones selling quickly for the post-covid 2021-22 seasons. This year we have a very special new 6 day Tasmania tour for the foodies at heart. On the 6 Day Tasmania Gourmet Tour we enjoy the gastronomic highlights that Tasmania is famous for, from sampling wine, boutique beer and chocolate, visiting a micro brewery and dining at the Agrarian Kitchen Eatery in the Derwent Valley. This tour is ideally suited for Australians wanting a weeks get-away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Sensibly...