13 Jan 2014
From farm gates to formal feasts, autumn in Tasmania is a festival for food lovers. Growers, winemakers and boutique producers across the state celebrate the harvest season with a huge array of events - from Savour Tasmania celebrations in Hobart to Cradle Mountain's iconic Tastings at the Top weekend. The feasting continues for book lovers when the inaugural Festival of Golden Words invites some of Australia's finest writers to discuss their work in Beaconsfield and among the vineyards of the Tamar Valley. Hobart Baroque rewards music lovers with an Ottoman feast, staged in the Nolan Gallery at MONA. Once you're wined and dined there's plenty more to celebrate on the island this season, as the Spiegeltent sets up on Hobart's waterfront, the Sheffield SteamFest marks its 20th anniversary and Tasmania's famous brown trout reaches its 150th birthday.
THE SPIEGELTENT - 6 MARCH TO 23 MARCH 2014
A spellbinding array of acrobatics, cabaret and dance will hit Hobart this March when the legendary Spiegeltent fastens its guy ropes to the forecourt of Princes Wharf 1. One of only a few "tents of mirrors" still touring the world, the intimate venue will present more than 30 acts over 18 days, beginning with a free opening night party starring the time-travelling sounds and projections of Hot Dub Time Machine. Headlining the ticketed program, La Soriée brings together some of the world's most skilful and twisted cabaret performers, while Australia's award-winning touring show Cantina promises a darker, vaudeville-scored encounter with illusion, contortion and acrobatics. This Spielgeltent season is the first in a new, year-round program of events curated by the team who also produce Ten Days on the Island.
What: A Spiegeltent season arrives in Hobart
When: 6–23 March 2014
Where: The forecourt at Hobart's Princes Wharf 1
How: The opening night party is free. Visit www.tendays.org.au/spiegeltent to view the full season program and book tickets.
FESTIVAL OF GOLDEN WORDS – 14 MARCH TO 16 MARCH 2014
Some of Australia's finest writers will descend on Beaconsfield and the Tamar Valley this autumn for the first annual Festival of Golden Words. Combining free marquee events with a ticketed program, the inaugural festival will feature more than 70 authors discussing their work in panel sessions, keynote talks, poets’ breakfasts, writing workshops and debates. Guests include 2013 Stella Prize winner Carrie Tiffany (Mateship With Birds), Miles Franklin-shortlisted author Romy Ash (Floundering) and South Australian novelist Hannah Kent, whose critically acclaimed debut Burial Rites has become an international best seller. The festival will make the most of its wine region setting with venues spread across the Tamar Valley, and foodies are already snapping up tickets for a keynote discussion hosted by Maggie Beer at the Tamar Ridge cellar door.
What: A new Australian writers festival in Tasmania's Tamar Valley
When: 14–16 March 2014
Where: A range of venues in Beaconsfield and throughout the Tamar Valley.
How: Includes free and ticketed events. The full program will be released in early February 2014 but tickets to major food and wine events are now on sale at www.festivalofgoldenwords.com.au.
HOBART BAROQUE – 28 MARCH TO 5 APRIL 2014
A unique new event, Hobart Baroque is a festival dedicated solely to the performance of music penned in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Following packed houses at its 2013 debut, this year's program is spread across four venues – from MONA to Hobart's Town Hall, Theatre Royal and Federation Concert Hall. Highlights include a fully staged performance of Handel's operatic masterpiece Orlando, a selection of Domenico Scarlatti's sonatas played on duelling harpsichords, and an evening of exotic Turkish classical music accompanied by an Ottoman Feast. Local and mainland artists will be joined by guests from Finland, Spain, the UK, Israel, Greece, Russia, New Zealand and Turkey. Newcomers can dip their toes into the program at 5x5x5@5 – five early evening recitals for the bargain baroque price of $5.
What: A unique festival dedicated solely to baroque music
When: 29 March to 5 April 2014
Where: Hobart Town Hall, Theatre Royal, Federation Concert Hall and MONA
How: Tickets and full program details are now available at www.hobartbaroque.com.au.
STEAMFEST TASMANIA – 8 MARCH TO 10 MARCH 2014
Also known as the Town of Murals, Sheffield provides the perfect backdrop for SteamFest, Tasmania's largest celebration of working steam-powered machines. Held over the long weekend in March each year, the festival is heading into its 20th anniversary in 2014 with a packed three-day program of parades, steampunk and historic costume contests and live music – from traditional bagpipes to banjo buskers and rock bands. Crowd favourites include rock-crushing demonstrations, the annual tractor pull and, of course, steam train rides from the restored Sheffield Station along the Redwater Creek railway. Local producers Seven Sheds Brewery, Blue Penguin Wines, Wood Fired Foods and Sheffield Berry Gardens keep visitors energised for the all-important annual tug-o-war – between eager volunteers and a huge steamroller.
What: Tasmania's largest celebration of working steam-powered machines
When: 8–10 March 2014, full program and opening hours to be announced in late February.
Where: Main Street and Spring Street, Sheffield
How: Entry is $15 for adults, $30 for families, $10 for pensioners and students, $5 for children aged 5 to 16, and free for people aged under 5 or over 90. Find more information at www.steamfesttasmania.org.au.
TASTE THE HARVEST – 9 MARCH 2014
A festival starring the produce of Tasmania's north west coast, Taste the Harvest is a field day of tasting, tips and live entertainment. The event brings together local winemakers, brewers, chefs and boutique producers who present a range of stalls and demonstrations in Roundhouse Park on the Mersey River foreshore. Apart from tasting the harvest – including the region's renowned seafood, berries and cheeses - visitors can enjoy a live music program presented on two outdoor stages. A dedicated kids' zone keeps young visitors happy with face painting, games, children's performers and (after they've digested lunch) a jumping castle.
What: Taste the Harvest, an annual celebration of north west Tasmanian produce
When: Sunday 9 March from 10.30am to 6.30pm
Where: On the foreshore at Roundhouse Park, Formby Rd, Devonport
How: Find more information at www.tastetheharvest.org.au.
TASTE OF THE HUON – 9 MARCH TO 10 MARCH 2014
For two days every March, Taste of the Huon transforms the township of Ranelagh into a festival hub for growers, producers and artisans in the Huon Valley and Channel regions. More than 20,000 local and interstate visitors plant deckchairs and spread rugs on the lawns around Ranelagh Recreation Grounds for a weekend of wine tasting, local produce picnics, live music and family entertainment. It might be most famous for its apples, but the Huon Valley is also an abundant farming region for cherries, mushrooms, salmon, truffles, cheeses and cool-climate wines. Just 25 minutes south of Hobart, the festival is also an ideal starting point for a tasting tour of the Huon Valley, D’entrecasteaux Channel and Bruny Island regions.
What: The 22nd annual Taste of the Huon Festival
When: 9 March to 10 March 2014
Where: Ranelagh Recreation Grounds
How: Entry is free. Visitors are invited to bring deck chairs and picnic rugs to the Ranelagh Recreation Grounds. Running Saturday 10am–5.30pm and Sunday 10am–4.30pm. For more information visit www.tasteofthehuon.com.
TARGA TASMANIA – 6 MAY TO 11 MAY
Each autumn, the CAMS Australian Targa Championship brings the world's best tarmac rally drivers to Tasmania for a five-leg race across the state. Following competition rounds in Adelaide, high country Victoria and Hobart, Targa Tasmania is billed as the "Ultimate Targa Rally" – a chance for competitors to hit some of the most challenging tarmac road routes in the country. Combining the best features of international rallies including the Targa Florio and the Coupe des Alpes, the Tassie event is fiercely contested and thousands of spectators line the route, settling in with eskies, BBQs and even couches in the viewing areas at each stage of the course. This year they'll be looking out for Jason White, who dominated the 2012 and 2013 Modern competitions in his Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale.
What: Targa Tasmania, a world-class road race across the state
When: 6–11 May 2014
Where: The race covers five legs from George Town to Hobart. Visit www.targa.com.au in late April for the route announcement and details about spectator areas.
How: Spectator entry is free. For more information visit www.targa.com.au.
TASTINGS AT THE TOP – 23 MAY AND 24 MAY 2014
Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge presents its 20th annual Tastings at the Top festival this autumn with a packed two-day program hosted by Australian wine authority Peter Bourne. Described by Gourmet Traveller as one of "Tasmania's top gourmet getaways", it's an indulgent weekend of cheese tastings, matched wine selections and degustation dinners in an iconic alpine wilderness setting. Kicking off with a Tasmanian wine toast, the program's focus on local produce extends to farm gate and market visits, cooking demonstrations – even natural spa treatments. Festival accommodation packages allow for sleep-ins thanks to Cradle Mountain Lodge's cabin retreats.
What: The 20th annual Tastings at the Top festival
When: 23–24 May 2014
Where: Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge
How: For further information visit www.cradlemountainlodge.com.au. To book phone 1300 806 192 (within Australia), +61 3 6492 2103 (international) or email cradlemountain@peppers.com.au.
SAVOUR TASMANIA INCORPORATING THE RED WINE WEEKEND – 21 MAY TO 25 MAY 2014
For five days in May Tasmania's best growers, wine-makers and boutique producers head to town for Savour Tasmania – a celebration of the island's produce and the local and international chefs who bring it from paddock to plate. From beloved local restaurants to the spectacular Princes Wharf 1 on Hobart’s waterfront, the program includes tastings, master classes, meet-ups and many glasses of cold climate wine. A festival within a festival, Hobart’s Red Wine Weekend concludes proceedings with a showcase of Tasmanian reds from a variety of vintages. Entry includes a taste of every featured wine and a chance to chat with the makers.
What: Savour Tasmania and the annual Red Wine Weekend
When: Savour Tasmania runs 21–25 May 2014. The Tasmanian Red Wine Weekend concludes the festival on 24 and 25 May.
Where: Hobart's Princes Wharf 1 and venues citywide
How: Visit www.savourtasmania.com.au for program announcements and tickets.
150TH ANNIVERSARY OF WILD BROWN TROUT IN TASMANIA – 4 MAY 2014
Tasmania's waters are home to the world's purest strain of brown trout, but they haven't always lived here. Following years of painstaking research during the mid-19th century, these northern hemisphere fish were finally acclimatised to southern waters and the first Tasmanian brown trout was born on the 4th of May, 1864. What's more (unlike the first salmon to be introduced to the state’s waters) the trout stayed and claimed Tasmania’s lakes and streams as their own. Fast forward 150 years and the brown trout will celebrate a big birthday on 4 May at its official birthplace, the Salmon Ponds in Plenty. Morning events will include the launch of the 150th anniversary medallion and a new edition of the book Origins of the Tasmania Trout. There'll be opportunities to meet some of Tasmania's trout fishing luminaries, learn some of the state's fishing history and tour the Salmon Ponds hatchery, where it all began.
What: The 150th anniversary of wild brown trout in Tasmania
When: Morning events at Salmon Ponds on 4 May 2014.
Where: Salmon Ponds Heritage Hatchery and Gardens, 70 Salmon Ponds Road, Plenty.
How: Entry to Salmon Ponds is $8 for adults, $6 for pensioners and children over 7 years, $3 for children aged 3 to 6, free for children under 3 years, and $22 for families..
For a full and up-to-date listing of Tasmanian events, and information on travelling to Tasmania, visit the Discover Tasmania website www.discovertasmania.com.au.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Joshua Iles
