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November 2009

Wicked fun

Let the little devils run wild on the rugged island of Tasmania

WORDS ALLISON HARDING

Six-year-old Sophie is about to burst with excitement. Strapped to her father, she’s just itching to leap from the platform to go flying through the Tasmanian forest. I’m waiting on the next “cloud station”. Flying along a zip-line myself is one thing, but watching my husband and daughter about to jump into thin air is another.

He steps cautiously from the platform. They immediately speed towards me. As they approach, my husband raises his feet and runs in to land on my cloud station – a bit like a swan landing on a lake, but not as graceful. Sophie has a huge grin on her face. “That was so cool! Can we do the next one now?”

We’re at Hollybank Treetops Adventure, about 20km from Launceston in northern Tasmania and the only continuous cable-guided treetop tour in Australia. And it’s loads of fun.

Guides fit our harnesses and take our group through a zip-line training run. The guides encourage us to shout, flap our arms and enjoy the view during our flights between each cloud station. We don’t need to disconnect over the entire 700m of the ride and the guides are constantly on hand to reassure any anxious participants.

“How high do you think we are?” one guide asks the group. “About 100m!” one nervous participant says with certainty. “No, we’re only 20m above the ground,” comes the easy reply.

It sure seems higher. We have a bird’s-eye view of the Tamar Valley, while the final leg is a breathtaking cross of the Pipers River. This month’s promotion lets adults ride for the children’s price of AU$75. (From December, adults will be AU$100.)

Driving south to Hobart, we visit the coastal town of Bicheno for an intimate penguin experience. Groups of no more than 20 are taken to the rookery from the town centre around dusk, when the penguins return from fishing. Don’t wear open shoes – despite their cuteness, penguins like biting toes!

We’re also advised to wear warm clothes, even on milder nights. Down by the water, we’re surprisingly close to the little penguins as they patter to their burrows. Children and adults alike are charmed by the experience.

Rugging up is also necessary when we head to Hobart’s stunning waterfront for the Lady Nelson pirate experience – in swashbuckling attire, of course. The tall ship is a full size replica of the original Lady Nelson brig, built in England in 1799 and rebuilt in 1987 by the Tasmanian Sail Training Association.

Volunteer pirates wearing bandanas and gold earrings man the ship for the pirate adventure sails. The adult pirates run treasure hunts and show the children how to tie knots and hoist the sails. Six-year-olds are the youngest allowed on the adventures. And be aware the pirates might be a bit too real for some littlies. After all, blackened teeth and fake floggings can be scary.

One youngster, on board without an older sibling or friend, looks anxious at the start. “Are you sure they’re not real, like in Pirates of the Caribbean? They look really real,” he asks. But the pirates keep a close watch and remind any uncertain children “it’s all just pretend”.

After experiencing maritime history, check out more history at the terrific Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in the centre of Hobart. Entry is free and kids love the welcoming giant dinosaur skeleton.

Specimens of intriguing Tasmanian creatures include the extinct Tasmanian tiger and Tasmanian emu and the threatened Tasmanian devil. Older children enjoy the gory tales of the island’s convict past while the permanent “Islands to Ice: The Great Southern Ocean and Antarctica” exhibit is a must.

If the family’s ready for some exercise, consider cycling down Hobart’s Mount Wellington – a minibus will take riders to the 1,270m high summit. Island Cycle Tours supplies all equipment and provides one guide per five riders.

A safety vehicle follows cyclists along the 21km road down the mountain. Island Cycle Tours’ Samantha Denmead says all types of people enjoy the experience. (Participants must be taller than 140cm to take part, which generally means children over eight years of age.)

“We even have people who haven’t been on a bike in 20 years, but the guides watch and encourage them,” she says. “The descent is not particularly steep and we stop regularly for drink breaks and to take in the view.”

The cycle tour arrives back in Hobart via Salamanca Place, Hobart’s entertainment hot spot and home to a fantastic Saturday market. The gorgeous Faerie Shop, with regular storytelling sessions, is a must for young children (especially girls).

Salamanca will also be one of the hotspots for the 2009/2010 Taste of Tasmania Festival, which runs from 28 December to 3 January. Coinciding with the arrival of the yachts in the Sydney to Hobart race (which depart Sydney on Boxing Day), the festival showcases top local food and beverages and is complemented by artists and performers on the waterfront.

Head south from Hobart to the Huon River for jet boat rides. En route, it’s worth visiting the lovely Kingston Beach – clean, long and safe for children. Buy a cheap boogie board and let the kids ride the gentle waves into shore.

We cruise upriver on the jet boat from the Huonville base, passing farms and dilapidated jetties. It’s all very tranquil. But a deep breath is needed when we hit fast flowing water and rapids. The river bottom is suddenly visible and we spin 360 degrees before the boat comes to a standstill in foaming water.

The driver fills us in on the history of the Huon River before we rev up for a few more spins, leaving the kids giggling and breathless. All in all, Tassie makes a great show-and-tell.

FIND IT

Hollybank Treetops Adventure
66 Hollybank Rd, Launceston, tel: +61 (3) 6395 1390

Bicheno Penguin Tours
Town centre, Tasman Hwy, Bicheno, tel: +61 (3) 6375 1333

Lady Nelson
Franklin Wharf, Hobart, tel: +61 (3) 6234 3348

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
40 Macquarie St, Hobart, tel: +61 (3) 6211 4177

Island Cycle Tours
Tel: +61 (3) 6228 4255

Taste of Tasmania
Tel: +61 (3) 6238 2100

Huon Visitor Centre Jetty
Huonville, Tel: +61 (3) 6264 1838

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