The Tassie Book Club- February 2024

by Hobart Magazine

The Woman Booker Prize Club is a local Hobart book club. Here they share their thoughts on books by Tasmanian authors, set in Tasmania, or about Tassie topics.

This month we shift into a slower pace of life, joining strong female characters, Lacey and Lucy, as they reassess their lives and connections to place and community in rural Tasmania.

One novel is a more traditional and c omforting small-town romance, while the other explores themes of animal intelligence, conservation, and our embodied human selves.

Home to Echidna Lane by Eva Scott (HarperCollins, August 2023)

Review by Melanie Ross

Lacey Clark has just been spectacularly betrayed on live television by her seemingly perfect husband. Hurriedly evacuating her perfect Sydney life with her two young sons in tow, she makes a dash for her home town of Whitton, to stay with her parents while attempting to make sense of her marriage.

Unbeknownst to Lacey, her new neighbour Shane – a widower walnut farmer – was her biggest fan when they were in high school together. As the pair develop a fledgling friendship (alongside their sweet children), might they find more than just friendship with each other? Or will each of their past hurts prevent a happy ending?

Scott wrote this book while living full-time in Tasmania, and it certainly shows. While the little town of Whitton is a fictional backdrop for our characters’ romance, there are many specific details of life in Tasmania, including Czegs’ Cafe in Richmond, and the best spot for viewing an Aurora Australis!

This book won’t win any accolades for breaking new ground in the romance genre, but it’s a charming rural story of finding love even after life has dealt you a bad hand.

With a really lovely cast of supporting characters, a bucolic Tasmanian backdrop, and a heartfelt message about family and community, this book might be perfect reading if you’re not quite ready to let the lazy days of your summer holiday fade away.

The Octopus and I by Erin Hortle (Allen & Unwin, April 2020)

Review by Megan Tighe

Erin Hortle’s debut novel from 2020 is one of my favourite books set in Tasmania, ever. It’s also the perfect read for late summer and early autumn. As we settle into the year and the seasons change, it’s a good time to spend some reflective hours in or near the ocean.

The Octopus and I is based around Eaglehawk Neck, and I found it an accurate, honest and loving reflection of the landscape and the community.

Our main character is Lucy; living with her ‘hippy’ abalone diver boyfriend Jem, and recovering from major surgery.

Navigating her new body, Lucy develops a deep fascination with octopuses, and finds herself drawn to the friendship of a local woman and her son. Lucy has to realise what it means to be herself, and what she might be better off without.

We see the world not just through Lucy’s eyes, but also from an octopus’ point of view. I recently gifted the book to a friend in the Northern Territory who has never been to Tasmania, and she loved it almost as much as I do! She said it had “some of the best animal-perspective sections of writing I’ve ever read, particularly from a creature with such a different sensory system to our own.”

I’m confident you will enjoy it too.

Book Chatter: The Stella Day Out is a mini literary festival that celebrates and promotes the outstanding contributions of women and non-binary writers to Australian literature. Hobartians rejoice: we’re getting the second ever ‘Day Out’ at the Hedberg on the afternoon of 16 February. And the best thing? It’s free!

Keen to chat books with us? Find us on Instagram @thewomanbookerprizeclub or email thewbpc@gmail.com.

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Hobart Happenings

by Steph Williams

Bits and Pieces- June 2026

Hobart Happenings

by Steph Williams

Bits and Pieces – May 2026

Bits and Pieces- May 2026

Stay up to date with everything happening at the Hobart Magazine.

Worker shortage is currently universal, there isn’t an industry that’s exempt. For Kelvin Smith, four years ago he decided there was a very obvious solution to the shortage facing the construction industry, and all that was needed was a little time, empathy and a helping hand. Integrate Workforce is a Hobart-based labour company with one requirement: a refugee/ migrant background. He’s also the outdoor piano man in his free time.

Landscape artist and creative Elliott Nimmo is enjoying discovering Hobart’s vibrant art scene and local environment after relocating here from London to pursue his art.

Even though Tasmania is known for its mild summers, it doesn’t take much to get sunburnt. Tasmania experiences extreme ultraviolet (UV) levels, but contrary to popular belief this isn’t due to the hole in the ozone layer, which is actually south of the continent.While higher UV levels often occur at the same time as higher temperatures, the two are not linked. Instead, UV levels are determined by the angle of the sun in the sky: the higher the sun, the higher the UV. In December and January, the position of the sun over Tasmania gives the state a UV index of 11 or more on most days, which is classified as “extreme” on the UV index. Tasmania’s lack of humidity and generally clear skies contribute to the stinging feeling of the sun. UV can reflect off buildings and water, making it possible to get a higher dose of UV from these reflected rays, even in the shade.

Setting up shop during a pandemic was a risky move, but if the crowd at Dāna Eating House (Dāna) on a Friday night is anything to go by, it’s one that’s paid off. With tables of diners chatting and laughing over drinks, the music and conversation buzzes off the monstera-leaf-green walls. Low-hanging rattan lights and worn wooden floorboards give the newly opened South-East Asian fusion venue in Hobart’s CBD a relaxed vibe.

A Holyman flagged ship hasn’t steamed up the River Derwent since 1984 but the company’s name still proudly adorns its former offices at 5 Morrison Street, Hobart.

Widening the Tasman Bridge to allow 3.5 metres on each side is a big win for walkers and cyclists.

Need a laugh? Check out @theinspiredunemployed feed on Instagram.

Rain, hail and shine, the school crossing guards are always there to help with a smile on their face.

It’s hard to believe it’s not standard practice to have a working phone in every aged care room - shared phones make private conversations impossible and increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Just when you think your cousins are alright. NZ Opposition Leader Judith Collins took aim at Tassie during her recent (unsuccessful) campaign, calling us Australia’s “poor cousin.” She also seems worried about us nabbing tech businesses, “It’s a lovely part of the world but do you necessarily want to go there with your high- tech business? Possibly not,” she said. We beg to differ!