"Top 10 Attractions of Tasmania"

Its quite interesting to see how different organizations do their rankings, and to discover new sights.

Apparently MONA Tops the list. The Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart is… Unique to say the lest. It is the most visited single attraction in Tasmania. It has been claimed to “attract visitors who otherwise would never have come to Tasmania.” I’m not sure I believe in the veracity of that last statement!

The rest of the list is actually almost all nature sites. Cradle Mountain, Wineglass Bay, Mt. Wellington, are commonly noted sites that we’ve already talk about. Interestingly, the #5 attraction is a river cruise - an a fascinating idea as Tasmania has many small rivers with almost no development. - should be a rather unique and rather pristine cruise environment. I hope we will be able to travel on a Tasmanian river.

#6 is the Tahune Forest Airwalk. I think this would be a scary experience, on a narrow bridge 150 feet above the ground, looking down at Tasmania’s forests. I also think it would be absolutely thrilling.

Finally, the #2 attraction is Port Arthur - the colonial and prison settlement in Hobart. I think getting a sense of both the human and the ecological history of Tasmania is very important.
Zheng

http://www.tasmaniatopten.com/lists/tasmanian_attractions.php

Population Centers of Tasmania

Tasmania is often considered a rural outpost of Australia. Let’s look at some of the state’s population centers to get a feel of its size.
Hobart is the biggest city although its not that much bigger than a small town. Its population of 240,000 makes up about 1/2 of Tasmania’s population (only 540,000!)
Launceston, in the north, has a population of 100,000.
Devonport has 30,000 people.
As we go further, no small town has over 30,000 people. Tasmania is a HUGE island - one of the biggest islands of the world (ranking #26)- and yet has a minuscule population- less than that of the SF Bay Area. That gives an idea of what we’ll see- less people, more nature!

Launceton, Population Center #2 of Tasmania

Zheng





http://www.tasmaniatopten.com/lists/population_centres.php

Parrots in Peril

This past month the Tasmania government, despite the disapproval of its own experts, made the decision to continue with logging the habitat of the endangered swift parrot.

Swift parrots, listed as endangered on the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, breeds in Tasmania. It migrates north to south eastern Australia from Griffith-Warialda in New South Wales and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is thought that only 1000 pairs remain in the wild. Habitat destruction and loss of old trees with nesting hollows are critical factors in its decline, demonstrating why this logging exhibition will be particularly dangerous for these birds.

The government went so far as to ignore warnings such as "the felling of trees will result in loss of breeding habitat that has been identified as being of very high importance for the species with the further fragmentation of foraging habitat. This cannot contribute to the long-term survival of the species.”

Phill Pullinger, a spokesman for Environment Tasmania, disagrees with the governments decision. He commented:

“Both [federal environment minister] Greg Hunt and [state environment minister] Matthew Groom have powers and responsibilities to protect endangered species – we need an injunction to prevent logging in swift parrot breeding areas,” he told Guardian Australia. This is highly alarming and shatters any confidence in how endangered species are being managed. The advice from scientists is so clear and blunt as to what these activities mean for this animal and yet the decision makers straight out ignore the advice. The swift parrot has had a lot of public profile. If one of the more high profile species is so clearly ignored, it raises questions as to what’s happening to a whole bunch of lesser known species.”



Will the government continue to prioritize commercial ventures over the safety of its friends of flight? Or will it defend the birds that help make its wilderness so beautiful? Hopefully Tasmania will continue to prioritize its natural beauty, as it has been doing for quite some time.

Author: Alicia Menendez

Biodiversity Corridor in Tasmania’s Midlands

The Midlands Restoration Program in Ross, Tasmania [Source: ABC Australia]

The Ian Potter Foundation has donated an additional $550,000 to Green Australia to construct a biodiversity corridor through Tasmania’s Midlands. This new contribution will make the foundation’s total contribution $1,000,000 — the largest landscape restoration contribution in Tasmania’s history.

All this will go towards the Midlands Restoration Program, which aims to:

• Create vegetation corridors for wildlife to move between resources 
• Preserve biodiversity 
• Remove introduced vegetation such as woody weeds and willows
• Re-establish native flora such as eucalyptus 
• Enable the flourishing of birds, bats, and small native mammals

This corridor will connect the Great Western Tiers (where Cradle Mountain is!) and eastern tiers. The project will be completed in 25 years, but perhaps we’ll see some of the preparation?

References

1. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-18/huge-boost-for-project-restoring-tasmania27s-midlands-region-a/6330526
2. http://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/project/tasmanian-midlands-restoration-program

Reliving Kiki's Delivery Service in Tasmania

Kiki's Delivery Service vs. Ross Village Bakery [Source: TraverlerFolio]

Do we have any Kiki’s Delivery Service Fans here?!

If so, you’re in luck! Apparently, there is a bakery in rural Tasmania that looks just like the bakery in the movie. Each day, hundreds of people visit the bakery to see the oven and climb the stairs to the second floor loft, which has been renovated to look just like Kiki’s bedroom. So far, thousands of fans have made the pilgrimage to Ross Village Bakery. Although it first started as comments about a resemblance to the film, a grassroots movement led to the owners' adding more artifacts and decorations. Many believe that this was the inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki's film.

Perhaps we too can make a trip to this bakery? :)

Source: Foodie Island Blog

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/atsushikase/ 

Source: http://melhyak.web.fc2.com/ 

References:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-13/tasmanias-ross-bakery-continues-to-attract-japanese-anime-fans/6308038

Aboriginal Children Caught in Cultural Crossfire?

Tasmanian Aborigines protesting another issue. [Source: ABC Australia]

The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre has published a report requesting that child welfare decisions be transferred to the Aboriginal community. The report's author Heather Sculthorpe stated, "There is a disproportionate number of Aboriginal children who get taken away from their families, they are lost then to the community, to their culture.” The report argues that child protection should not intervene in family situations unless a child is physically endangered. Advocates of the plan maintain that keeping Aboriginal children in their communities is a priority.

Should child protection matters be placed under Aboriginal jurisdiction instead of the state's? State child welfare services insist that they are sensitive to Aboriginal culture and try to keep Aboriginal children in their own communities. However, can the Tasmanian state government really understand the cultural differences? How can they make these moral decisions, especially given the history of European settlement and treatment of Aborigines?

An example of such moral ambiguity is Sculthorpe's stance that Family Violence Act should be amended so that there will only be intervention in cases of physical abuse. Otherwise, it would be better if Aboriginal children stayed with their families. But is that true? Which is more important: Children staying in their communities or children being free of abuse, whether not if it is physical?

References:

1. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-16/aboriginal-community-seeks-welfare-decisions-affecting-children/6322270?section=tas
2. http://www.news.com.au/national/tasmania/call-to-keep-kids-out-of-state-care/story-fnn32rbc-1227265984263

Tasmania Aspires for "Tobacco-Free" Generation

The end of smoking for a generation? [Source: The Guardian]

As part of the 2000 Smoke-Free Generation initiative, the Tasmanian government may be phasing out tobacco sales to young adults. The plan is to completely ban tobacco sales to anyone born after the year 2000 by raising the legal age of buying cigarettes each year. This initiative is supported by Tasmania’s independent upper house and the Legislative Council.

The first vote will be this coming Tuesday (March 24, 2015) and will likely pass the upper house. However, whether the lower house will pass it is unclear. Unsurprisingly, Imperial Tobacco Australia, which represents Australia’s tobacco industry, has been pushing against this legislation. The group argues that the prohibition is impractical and will only harm Tasmanian retailers, since the demand will shift to where the supply is at — the internet and the black market. However, other groups, such as the Australian Medical Association, see this bill as chance to “change social norms."

Nearly one third of Tasmanian young adults (ages 18-24) smoke. Reducing the prevalence of tobacco smoking would make a significant impact on public health. In 2011, the Australian federal government introduced plain packaged cigarettes to reduce smoking. If this bill passes in Tasmania, it will be the first place in the world to limit access to tobacco to certain generations — and a huge first step for ending smoking.

References

1. http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/11/20/tasmanian-tobacco-bill-ban-smoking-youth
2. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/campaign-hopes-tasmanian-tobacco-free-generation-law-215705975.html#oUgIsu1