Cold Water Wake Up Call
It seems everywhere I turn someone is talking about or participating in cold water swimming right now.
Hobart Happenings November 2020
by Hobart Magazine
HOBART NEW OPENINGS
Lady Hester (52 Sandy Bay Road) has finally opened in a permanent location, so now you can fulfill your cravings for their iconic sourdough donuts anytime – within business hours at least. A new coffee shop, Macquarie Soul (71 Macquarie Street) is open opposite TMAG and may just be the perfect place to pick up a pick me up after an educational visit to the museum. New Hobartians, Scott and Lauren, have relocated from Melbourne, bringing their passion for coffee to our city. Ozus (56 Hampden Road, Battery Point), which was previously a coffee caravan chugging around Taroona, has settled down in the space that previously housed Pollen Tea Room in Battery Point. But Taroona locals can rest easy, the van will still be serving coffee! Picnic Cafe (109 Liverpool St) has reopened in Mathers Lane and is back with all day breakfast and brunches as well as a sweet and savoury waffle menu. Masters of the French Patisserie, Daci and Daci, are expanding their franchise into a third store, opening in the ex-Flight Centre space on Sandy Bay Rd. Hobart’s first rooftop restaurant AURA (110 Liverpool Street) opens this month, with a lounge bar and event space too. Liberty Emma, a small Tasmanian business that’s been supplying Hobartians with fine leather bags, wallets, sterling silver jewellery, homewares and fragrances for seven years has finally taken the leap into a bricks and mortar address at 101 Murray St. Juan Nuiz Casas has launched his high end life style leather brand Etica at 139 Macquarie Street.
INDIGENOUS WALKING TOUR TO LAUNCH IN 2021
Six years ago, while working at TMAG, Nunami Sculthorpe-Green had the idea of a walking tour of Hobart that focused on the Aborignal palawa viewpoint. She has carried the idea close to her heart over the years while she continued her history studies. Finally next year, March 2021, it will emerge into the spotlight. Takara nipaluna (which translates to ‘walking Hobart’ in palawa kani) is the product of years of research and collaboration on the part of Nunami, which has seen her collaborate with radio personality Ryk Goddard, playwright Sarah Hamilton, and Annette Downs, Senior Producer at Tasmania Performs. In her work Nunami shatters the idea of Indigenous history as something to be ghettoised in the ‘before period’ of Hobart and instead shows how the history of the palawa people intertwines with the city, as she takes you along the Rivulet, which like the Aboriginal population, predates European arrival and, though sometimes diverted, sometimes obscured, remains proud to this day.
Nunami was originally discouraged by the threat COVID poses to the tourism industry, “Initially I thought, what’s the point of even doing this now, but having had the time to actually work on it and because of the stuff I’m telling, I think it’s more important for local audiences. I definitely want Tasmanian Aboriginal people to know these sites in the city, as well locals who may have no idea.”
Locals may appreciate more than most the way Nunami makes tangible fragments of Hobart’s past. Sites such as Truganini’s home, where the Travel Lodge now sits on Macquarie St. “I used to walk to work along the same street, “ said Nunami. “I like to imagine her, with a beanie on, walking three dogs down Macquarie Street.” Ultimately, Nunami is heartened by her experiences this year, “It seems like everyone’s really pulling together to support each other. It’s really an opportunity to showcase the art we do have in the state.”
FIND YOUR FEET RELEASES NEW TRAIL PROJECT
Wilder Trails is a new community project from Find Your Feet to encourage people to get out and about in the wilderness of Tassie. Wilder Trails spotlights “toe-tingling trails” around Tasmania for you to choose from, learn about, prepare for, and then hike, run, or walk as you choose. The trails are considered suitable for all athletic abilities. Once you’ve completed your trek, you can visit the Find you Feet website to collect that trail’s special commemorative badge or lapel pin. Proceeds support the continuation of the project and community-driven environmental and cultural projects around Tasmania.
HOW CANCER TRIGGERED A FRESH TAKE ON QUILTING
Ursula Jones was 30 years old when she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer – a relatively rare and aggressive form of cancer – in January 2019. The young mother of one and beloved early childhood teacher of many suffered six months of chemotherapy, surgery, and six weeks of daily radiation before she was declared cancer free and released back into the wild – a happy ending with a few loose ends. “After having cancer I felt like I didn’t know who I was anymore,” said Ursula. During her recovery Ursula started a sewing group with her friends, where she was introduced to the art of quilting. “I felt like it was one of those old lady things, like crochet except it hadn’t become popular yet, and so I thought I’d give it a try because I love a craft. I started off doing just basic triangle blocks and then I discovered Improv Quilting on Instagram.”
Improv quilting is where a quilter cuts out random shapes in fabric they enjoy with no larger design in mind and then figures out how to fit them back together in the shape of a quilt, like a puzzle, that’s also a maths problem, that’s also a sewing project! In America there’s a thriving community for the craft, but here in Tasmania, Ursula is a pioneer, creating one of a kind, modern, funky fresh quilts for family, loved ones and, as of recently, paying customers.
After posting some of her beautiful works on Instagram, Ursula was headhunted by the Collective Longford and contracted to sell some of her works in their pop-up shop. “I felt validated,” Ursula said, “being a mum and at home with Elenore – there’s only so many times you wanna play Barbies!” Ursula’s quilts can be found on her instagram @ursula_in_wonderland or purchased at The Collective Longford.
PAP THAT PLATYPUS
Local photographer Pete Walsh, who shot our beautiful cover photo of the Bridgewater Jerry last month, has launched a new venture. @hobartrivuletplatypus is an Instagram and Facebook feed dedicated to the life and times of the platypeese of the Hobart Rivulet. The account aims to bring attention to litter and debris that washes up in the Rivulet as well other threats to the platypus’ home. Check it out for some very cute wildlife pictures with a side order of environmental education.
DERWENT REGENCY FESTIVAL
Feeling a longing for times gone by? The Folk Federation of Tasmania are returning with the Derwent Regency Festival to give you that Jane Austen fix you might be cravin’. Across the weekend of the 27th-29th November you may partake in a range of delightfully archaic activities including a Georgian and Regency Evening at Narryna on Friday. On Saturday, the North Hobart Uniting Church Hall will hold dance workshops to brush up on your quadrille in time for the evening’s Grand Regency Ball, to be held at St James Hall, New Town. Dance Master David Wanless will lead an evening of lively dances to the tunes of the Van Diemen’s Angels. Then on Sunday the festival cools down with a Regency House and Garden Party at the historical Glen Derwent Heritage Retreat. You can eat like Jane Austen with period food and drinks. There’s also more dancing, live music, history tours, croquet and other period games, roses, heritage sheep, and peacocks, oh my! Each event is ticketed individually and no event is priced more than $20. More information can be found at www.folktas.org/derwent-regency-festival-2020.
LOOK OUT FOR YOUR ELDERS
Relationships Australia Tasmania has launched a new Elder Relationship Service that aims to improve relationships and resolve differences between older Tasmanians and their families. It includes both mediation and counseling services to older people and their families to help them navigate difficult conversations and complex issues relating to an older person’s lifestyle or care, while prioritising the interests, rights and safety of older Tasmanians. With support from the Tasmanian Community Fund, it’s available across Tasmania and is free and confidential. To find out more about Relationships Australia services call 1300 364 277 or look up www.tas.relationships.org.au
JUNCTION CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF ARTISTRY IN LAUNCESTON
Junction Arts Festival celebrates its 10th year of bringing arts and cultural experiences to Launceston this November. JUNCTION HOMETOWN will feature some of Tasmania’s finest musicians, performers and artists to Prince’s Square for a weekend of celebration 27-29th November. The line up has something for everyone with music, dancing, theatre, performances, and interactive activities for families, not to mention food and drinks. Tickets can be purchased at www.junctionartsfestival.com.au. Children under 12 attend for free but still need to book a ticket, for COVID safety reasons.
SO DOGGONE CUTE
The Poochibald Prize, an annual art competition putting everyone’s best friend on a pedestal is over for another year, resulting in some fantastic art and a great deal of joy for dog lovers. Congratulations to the Adult Winner Eve Cowley, and Runner Up Icky Brothers. Samantha Hernan won the coveted Ranger Prize, awarded to the favourite entry of the Clarence City Council Park Rangers. All kids entrants are to be commended but special congratulations to Georgia Thurling (12, Child Senior Winner), Liam Ludlow (13, Child Senior Runner Up), Rose McLean (11, Child Junior Winner), Lauren Daley (11, Child Junior Runner Up) and Rosie Hentschel (14, Child’s Ranger Prize).
LUCKY LITTLE DEVILS TRAVEL NORTH
Nearly 3000 years after they went extinct on the mainland, Tasmanian Devils have been returned to the wild in New South Wales. Aussie Ark, alongside a coalition of other environmental groups released 26 devils into a 400 hectare wild sanctuary at Barrington Tops. If they prosper there, Aussie Ark will do two additional releases of 20 devils each over the next two years. “The re-introduction of devils to mainland Australia is a game-changer for conservation” said Mark Hutchinson, Co-Founder of WildArk. These lucky devils were released into their new homes by WildArk ambassador and superhero Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky.
How cute are these two? And the devils.
NEW HOBART BUS MALL OPENS BUT IS IT SAFE?
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds opened the Elizabeth Street Bus Mall back to two way traffic in mid-October. Through the project, ageing shelters were replaced with larger, modern facilities, with improved footpaths and lighting, and the addition of more seating. The most recent works included the widening of the footpath adjacent to the Rivers building, new paving and the foundations for a new bus shelter outside the Metro Tasmania office. Some paving and utility connection works are continuing in the short term, and the final shelter is currently being fabricated by City of Hobart staff for installation over summer. In February this year a commuter was struck by a falling panel that came loose from one of the freshly constructed shelters in the mall. When asked about the shelters that were built after that incident, a council spokesperson said, “The panel fixings were reinforced, which means that the panels cannot slide out. No issues were identified in the other shelters, but they were all reinforced as a matter of precaution.”
The new Hobart bus mall.
For our safety, let’s hope the designers and engineers have it right this time and no panels fall and potentially injure innocent bystanders.
BUSKERS ON TRIAL IN THE CITY
Prepare to be entertained this summer! The Hobart City Council has launched a new trial program to expand location options and opportunities for buskers in the city. Over the next six months, buskers can get a permit that will allow them to perform in 27 specially chosen performance spots across the City of Hobart area. Buskers can perform between 8am and 8pm on weekdays and from 10am to 8pm on weekends. If you think you have what it takes, apply for a busking permit at hobartcity.com.au/busking and try your luck on the streets. The council is also looking for feedback from the public so put in your two cents worth at yoursay.hobartcity.com.au/busking.
CANCER COUNCIL SAYS SCREENING SAVES LIVES
The Cancer Council of Tasmania has released an urgent call for all Tasmanians to get up to date with their bowel, breast and cervical screenings. Cancer Council Tasmania CEO, Penny Egan, said data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows fewer Australians are screening in 2020 than previous years, calling the Tasmanian statistics in particular “very disturbing.”
“We know that COVID-19 has disrupted our lives and some of us may have neglected our regular health checks,” said Penny. Many screening services were placed on hold during the early stages of lockdown which explains some discrepancy, but all services have since resumed and participation numbers are still lagging. “We are urging Tasmanians to stop putting off any health checks. If you are due or have been invited to participate in the breast, bowel or cervical screening programs, get it done and tick cancer screening off your to do list.” The Cancer Council is currently running a Screening Saves Lives Campaign, emphasising how consistent screening leads to early detection of cancer, which leads to drastically improved survival rates.
NEW SCIENCE STUDY SLAMS PLASTIC BABY BOTTLES
A new study conducted by Trinity College Dublin reveals that bottle fed babies are being exposed to far higher microplastic contamination than previously thought, swallowing over 1 million microplastic particles everyday. The plastic comes from polypropylene bottles which make up 82% of the baby bottle market and, according to the study, can release up to 16 million microplastics and trillions of smaller nanoplastics per litre. The transfer of plastic is apparently drastically increased by heat, and shaking – the exact process used to sterilise and prepare formula for babies’ consumption. We don’t currently know the full impact that microplastic consumption has on human health but the scientists involved in this study stress that we really ought to urgently find out. In the meantime they suggest never reheating formula in plastic containers, avoid vigorously shaking bottles, and altering your sterilisation methods to follow WHO recommended guidelines including rinsing the sterilised bottle using room temperature sterilised water at least three times. Or switching to glass bottles and non-plastic teats instead.
JACK JUMPERS READY TO BITE
Tasmania’s new National Basketball League team have unveiled themselves as the Tasmania Jack Jumpers and are preparing to enter the league in time for the 2021-2022 Hungry Jack’s NBL Season. This will be the first time Tasmania has had a team in the league since the 1996 Hobart Devils. Their notorious new name was chosen from amongst thousands of options submitted by Tasmanian basketball fans. Just like their namesake, the Jack Jumpers promise to show “you don’t need to be the biggest to be the best and to drive fear into your opponents.” Foundation memberships are available now.
Premier Peter Gutwein and Jack Jumpers CEO Simon Brookhouse at the naming announcement.
DEVELOPMENT IN URGENT CARE MEDICAL CENTRES
Health Minister Sarah Courtney has announced forward momentum on the establishment of Urgent Care Centres in the greater Hobart and Launceston areas, following the release of a positive feasibility study conducted by the Department of Health. Urgent Care Centres are designed to reduce pressure and overcrowding in emergency departments by redirecting
people with acute but non-life threatening complaints to alternative walk-in clinics, leaving ED’s with the more critically ill or injured patients. The UCC model proposed by the Health Department is similar to the NHS model in the United Kingdom, and walk-in centres in the ACT. The minister said the next step in the process is beginning formal consultation with stakeholders such as local health services and consumers. Stay tuned.
BRIDGING THE BRIDGEWATER
The New Bridgewater Bridge comes another step closer to construction with the release of a Reference Design. A reference design is a kind of semi-final draft that depicts a bridge that would meet all the project design requirements while staying within the current allotted budget for construction. This reference design is being used to solicit feedback from the greater Hobart community. Public consultation on the design is open until 13 November. To give your feedback, or ask any questions about the process you can head to www.stategrowthtas.mysocial-pinpoint.com/newbridgewaterbridge. The design of the bridge is expected to evolve many times, taking into consideration community feedback and budgetary concerns. At present, construction is scheduled to start in 2022 with the bridge opening for business sometime in 2024.
REIT REVEALS REAL ESTATE REVIVAL
According to the Real Estate Institute of Tasmania’s September Quarter Report, the Hobart housing market has defied all expectations and bounced back to pre-COVID heights. With 2959 sales recorded, we’re apparently seeing the highest quarterly transaction numbers since June 2018. The report also describes an increase in the value of sold property up 32.3 percent from the previous quarter and 15 percent compared to the same time last year. The most expensive suburb remains Sandy Bay, while the most affordable suburbs in Tassie are West Coast, Rosebery, Queenstown and Zeehan.
REIT president Mandy Welling said “We were very very impressed with the September quarter figures,” calling them “quite exceptional.” She specifically pointed out sales for First Home Buyers increased by almost 50% suggesting that low interstate buyer profiles, representing just 10% of sales compared to their average 22%, allowed the typically struggling First Home Buyers “some leverage to be able to break into the marketplace.”
MAJOR MAJOR PROJECTS LEGISLATION TO BE DEBATED
Off the back of the successful passing of the recent Major Projects legislation in the Tasmanian Parliament, a new bill will soon be introduced. The MAJOR Major Projects Bill is set to take all ministerial and all planning decisions out of state politician hands and be decided upon by a panel of expert mainlanders. Just like the state legislated to take it
away from local councils, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison thinks it’s best if big decisions are made by mainlanders, freeing our state pollies up to focus on the remaining ten portfolios they each currently manage.😉
RIP CASCADE GARDENS DUCK
South Hobart lost one of it’s own recently, with the passing of the large Muscovy duck that paddled at Cascade Gardens. Residents have marked Duck’s passing with a plaque.
