Think of Tasmania and you might imagine a quaint, bucolic way of life. Up to now, its appeal has been in its artisanal approach to tourism — good for niche travellers looking for untouched landscapes, perhaps, but not exactly cutting edge. Now a flurry of new hotels, cultural offerings and interesting architectural works could change all that.
Due to open in early 2011, the Museum of Old and New Art, or Mona (mona.net.au), is a sophisticated new development that will house the largest private collection of art and antiquities in Australia. The museum, situated at Tasmania's oldest vineyard, Moorilla (moorilla.com.au), will be home to a diverse compilation that ranges from Egyptian mummies to some of the world's most best contemporary art. The site also offers luxury accommodation in eight avant-garde Pavilions, a microbrewery, wine tasting and a fine-dining restaurant — all just 15 minutes from the capital Hobart.
This marriage of accommodation and art can also be found at Hobart's Henry Jones Art Hotel (thehenryjones.com), designed by award-winning Tasmanian architects Morris Nunn and Associates. The Henry Jones is Australia's only dedicated art hotel — the suites, foyers, bars, restaurants and atrium are furnished with more than 250 original artworks in a continually changing exhibition. Nearby Salamanca Place (salamanca.com.au) - home to the Salamanca Arts Centre and Hobart's funkiest music scene — is the cultural hub of the city, with artists, galleries, pubs and a bustling nightlife.
Opened in May this year, Saffire (saffire-freycinet.com.au), a £19 million hotel development on the east coast and another Morris Nunn project, was designed to be 'conceptually organic' and thus reflect the surrounding environment. However, if you're not there for the architecture, you can always enjoy one of the hotel's 20 sumptuous suites, the showcase Palate restaurant, the spa with its treatments using real sapphires, or any number of activities that enable access to the dramatic Freycinet peninsula.
If you are after solitude without the loss of luxury, then The Lair (thelair.com.au), a two-bedroom lodge perched between the forest and the sea on the Freycinet peninsula, offers a contemporary retreat with windows that frame the sweeping forms of Coles Bay.
What's more, gourmet visitors can sample a number of fine-dining restaurants across the island, not to mention some of the world's best wines. Kim Seagram, co-owner of the award-winning Stillwater River Café (stillwater.net.au) in Launceston and a key player in Tasmania's thriving wine industry, says, 'Tasmania is now referred to as the thinking man's destination. About ten years ago, it started to shrug off its "cultural cringe" and since then there has been an organic growth of quality operations and experiences, all showcasing our strengths in heritage, food and wine, arts and culture and wilderness adventure.'
Mix in the avante-garde design and Tasmania looks set to be on trendsetters' must-see list.
