In just 1 minute and 45.83 seconds, Max Giuliani’s life changed. This was his winning time in the men’s 200m freestyle final at the Australian Swimming Championships in June – a thrilling victory that secured the 20-year-old Tasmanian a coveted spot in the Australian Olympic Team heading to Paris.

This is a story of two families, two sisters; told between travel, break ups, weddings, births, changes in jobs, and lifestyle.

A group of local women have taken up knitting needles to help raise funds for those affected by the war in Ukraine. Tassie for Ukraine is a community knitting project determined to make a difference.

There’s a story about a group of scientists who travelled to Nepal scanning the brains of monks to better understand the secrets of the mind, equanimity, and resilience.

Being heavily pregnant with my belly in full bloom, I’m often asked, “So, have you got everything ready?”

The We ARE Enough Art Project is centred on telling women’s stories.

Many women think of a glass of wine at the end of a stressful day as self-care – but it isn’t. Drinking alcohol puts us in a cycle of trying to take the edge off stress, while negatively impacting our anxiety and mood.

Ah Spring – the season of new begin­nings. Flowers blooming, lighter days, and a general sense that the earth is coming alive again. A time when we feel energised and motivated to clear out the cobwebs and commence new projects. But often, we overlook the most important spring clean – our mindset.

“Yup, that’s all of it”, the woman standing in front of me says as she drops her two overflowing bags, clearly having stuffed them hurriedly. She has just managed to flee from her wealthy, controlling husband of eight years, who earnt the majority of the household income. She cared for his children and has “nothing to show for her efforts” until matters are finalised in slow and arduous court proceedings.

We live in a world where everything is so messed up and upside down, sometimes I wonder how we get through each day.

For all of us 2020 was a year like no other, punctuated by rapid change and plenty of new challenges. For vulnerable people in Tasmania, including people facing homelessness, those on low incomes and those facing increasingly higher rents, it was very challenging. We are seeing a growing demand for homes in Tassie from international travellers returning home, people moving for work and others seeking the lifestyle that our Apple Isle has to offer.

How to genuinely celebrate other people’s wins.

The borders were declared shut in Tasmania on the 30th of March, 2020; the first stare to do so amid the COVID- 19 pandemic and hard lockdown of Hobart followed.

With the Sorell Municipality recently commemorating their bicentenary, one can reflect on how it has evolved from a largely remote rural outcrop, to an important south east town and road junction to our East Coast or Tasman Peninsula.

I was 19 when my dad died. After some months passed, I put on a CD he had made and hearing his voice again, I fell apart. The sound of him singing did something to me and to this day, when I play his songs, it creates an experience more powerful than looking at pictures of his face.

A simple cave provided the perfect hideout for one of Tasmania’s most brutal bushrangers – and you can easily walk to it from Fern Tree. Sarah Aitken went in search of the story of Rocky Whelan.

Imagine getting everything you ever wanted, anytime you wanted it – instantly. How amazing would that be? Keen on a successful career? No need to climb the ladder, you’re handed the keys to the executive office. A desire to travel the world again? “Welcome aboard.” Suddenly you’re greeted at the terminal with a glass of champagne. Seeking the man or woman of your dreams? Well don’t you worry, they’re waiting for you right behind door number one. House, car, money, possessions, weight loss, entertainment? Whatever you want, it’s yours the moment you want it. No need to work for it. No need to try. Your reward is more instant than downloading an app.

You don’t need a psychologist to tell you that your nervous system is one of the most extraordinarily complex, sensitive, and intelligent structures in the Universe.

Hey parents! Happy first anniversary of sending the kids back to school after Covid-induced home-learning! Did you, like many, rejoice when the school gates reopened in May last year? Or did you consider ongoing homeschool? Sarah Aitken meets a family who never got the school uniforms back out.

Drenched in euphoric excitement of being in my adopted country I began afresh my journey of finding me some mates.

What you need to know before you DIY.

We have a rich history in Tasmania. From the 1840s, photographers started documenting Van Diemen’s Land.

Can an optimist and a pessimist live in harmony? It’s a typical day on the therapeutic couch and my client Jake begins.

We all know Tassie is cold – but could the end be in sight for our mild summers?

Take a look inside this family home that was once part of networks of buildings used to communicate with ships more than 150 years ago.

Agnes Frith opened the Golden Wattle Cafe to give people with dementia and their caregivers a safe and non-judgemental space where they can socialise and interact with each other and members of the community in a relaxed environment. Here she shares her story.

Before Ned Kelly cut a blazing trail through Australia’s collective imaginations, Tasmania had its own dashing bushranger who captured the hearts, and inevitably, material possessions of its populace.

‘We’re reclaiming a space that was full of hatred, a place of oppression’:how drag queen bingo is delighting Hobart audiences.

What would you buy from a tip shop? While Hobart is working hard to reduce its waste, we can still do more to cut down.

The Slag Queens were once described as the Worst Band in Launceston’ but now having won the 2020 National Live Music Award ‘Tasmanian Live Act of the Year’ and performing at MONA FOMA for the fourth year in a row, they’re feeling pretty good.

“So, what do you do with yourself?” Ah, the standard nice-to- meet-you-question that highlights how so many of us have our identity wrapped up in what we do for work, where we do it, and who we do it with. But how can we not?

This January marked eight years since Mitch McPherson lost his little brother, Ty, to suicide. Through his grief, he started SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY with one very small but very significant action, a bumper sticker.

What do you get when you combine an architect, a bush block and a budget of $275,000? Casa Acton is a moveable 53sqm bush dwelling in Tasmania designed and built by Josh FitzGerald (a founding director of Archier) along with his partner Millie Ashton.

Birds like Tasmania. Firstly it’s an island, which birds like in general because they can flaunt their ability to come and go as they please to those dumb landlocked mammals. Secondly we’ve got a lush, sexy, biosphere with grassy moorlands, coastal heaths, temperate rainforests and eucalyptus bush, all in one conveniently compact package.

It isn’t always as easy as it looks on the ‘gram. Here’s your guide to hiking Tasmania’s photogenic tracks.

Mark Richards and George Radford took their mark for a race in Hobart, but they didn’t know they’d never make it to the finish line.

The green fairy has left bohemian Paris and come to Hobart.

With over 100 boats registered to compete, the 2020 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is set to be one of the biggest events held anywhere in Australia in the post-lockdown era.

Tasmania, despite its small size and population in comparison to the mainland, has produced more than its proportionally predicted percentage of significant figures and heroes of Australian history. 

For an iconic flower, such as the Tasmanian Waratah, to bloom into its fullest potential, it must first go through a period of severe discomfort. To germinate, the seed must break through its hard exterior, spend time in the cold, wet dirt, and navigate through darkness before it can feel the warmth of the sun. Only then, does this special native brighten our wild landscape. Only then, we are gifted with its captivating beauty.

These women have been suiting up Tasmania’s front-line workers for more than 30 years. 

Tasmania, despite its small size and population in comparison to the mainland, has produced more than its proportionally predicted percentage of significant figures and heroes of Australian history. 

A traditional Federation villa on Lower Jordan Road in West Hobart has had a beautiful facelift, conceived by Hobart-based architecture firm Taylor and Hinds.

With Summer on the way, it’s time to plan your next adventure in the great outdoors. It pays to remember that while nature may be healing to the soul, it is capable of being dangerous to the body. To totally freak you out, let’s have a good look at five of the most dangerous predators you may encounter in Tasmania this summer.

Although stretching your gut to make room for that last slice of pizza could technically be construed as an exercise, it’s unfortunately not what I’m here to talk about today. I’m talking about the impact of physical exercise on your gut health.

John Franklin was the Lieutenant Governor of Tasmania from 1837 to 1843. Many things around Tasmania are named after him, or his impressive wife, Lady Jane Franklin. In Franklin Square he is depicted in statue, towering over the park on a plinth inscribed with his epitaph, composed by Lord Alfred Tennyson;

Finding yourself fantasising about your colleague even though you can’t stand them most of the time? Faked your orgasm and feel terrible about lying when your partner asked about it? What about your new lover informing you they’ve contracted genital herpes?

Bums on aeroplane seats is one thing, but attracting a legion of people who will enhance life on the island will ensure long term prosperity.

Bums on aeroplane seats is one thing, but attracting a legion of people who will enhance life on the island will ensure long term prosperity.

Hobart would have to be one of the toughest places to be homeless in winter. While there are some organisations like Bethlehem House and the Hobart City Mission who are doing great work, there are still too many people slipping through the net.

We’re surrounded by history in Hobart and now you can take a virtual trip through time to plant yourself in the 1820s. The brains behind the app is John Stephenson of Digital Heritage Studio.

It’s almost unbelievable that Mum technically only gets one day a year where their superhuman efforts are celebrated. So on that day, it’s your job as a husband, wife, partner, child or loved one, to put that Mum in your life on the pedestal she deserves. Here’s our wrap up of some of the best ways you can show your love on Sunday 13 May.

4:30am: Wake up, check the weather (bluebird day!) and drive up the mountain to the staff room to clock on – with no room left at the Cascade Depot area, the most logical place for a staff room was up top. Unfortunately, get stuck in the sunrise traffic driving up the mountain, bloody photographers and all their equipment.

Kate McCarthy is the Marketing Manager at Destination Southern Tasmania, the people who represent Tasmania’s southern region, stretching across the municipalities of Hobart, Glenorchy, Clarence, Brighton, Sorell, Kingborough, Huon Valley, Derwent Valley, Tasman, Central Highlands and Southern Midlands.

My business, Tasmanian Mountain Bike Adventures is family owned and operated. Having been a keen rider for much of my life, I was curious as to whether my skills as a teacher and Principal would hold me in good stead in the world as an entrepreneur. Two years on and we’ve now completed our first year operating our business.

It’s another typical evening after work, sitting on the couch together recovering from an exhausting day, Jeanette on her phone, Darren watching something fluffy on the box. Jeanette suddenly blurts out, “This is really hard to say, but I think I’d like to try digital stimulation in the you know where region”.

Hobart City Farm was founded by a collective in 2014 – James Da Costa, Bridget Stewart, Louise Sales, Sam Beattie and Hannah Maloney. It’s a not-for-profit organisation, run like a social enterprise, focused on running a vibrant, financially viable and environmentally regenerative small farm growing a diverse range of food. It also builds community and provides meaningful employment.

We all know that Princess Mary is Hobart’s own princess, but many might not be aware that there was a Tasmanian princess long before Mary hit the headlines. The youngest of ten children, Pauline Curran was born in 1893 in Hobart and educated at St Michael’s Collegiate. The founder of the Tattersall’s lottery, George Adams, was a close family friend and when he died in 1905, he left the family a chunk of money.

Molly Kendall is the Coordinator at the Resource Work Cooperative, who run the South Hobart Tip Shop. We spoke to her about how the shop works and why they’re seeing an influx in both waste and interest.

It’s a given that most people know a park or two in their local area, and might have a favourite they travel to to mix it up, but if your park game is feeling stale, check out our wrap up of some of the best parks in Hobart.

From 2-5 August, the Australian Antarctic Festival hits Princes Wharf, Castray Esplanade to celebrate all things Antarctic, from the ships and logistics of getting scientists there, to talking through fascinating insights into life on the frozen continent. You can book to take a tour of the Aurora Australis and RF Investigator ships at the wharf, or head out to the airport to inspect the RAAF Globemaster C-17A aircraft.

Two Hobart region wine producers attracted national attention when they won awards recently at the 2018 Young Gun of Wine (YGOW) awards, described as “one of the world’s most rigorous talent searches for young winemakers and new labels.”

Driving to the supermarket, through the usual dinner time torment, Darren pipes up, “You know the other night when I placed my hand on your shoulder in bed I was feeling like you know…”

Kirsha Kaechele is an American artist and curator living in Hobart, and the driving force behind 24 Carrot Gardens. She moved here to live with David Walsh, of Mona and started the program to teach kids the value of understanding where food comes from.

Before Salamanca became Hobart’s hotspot for a good meal, diverse artwork and bustling markets, it was a hub of a much different kind. Known as New Wharf throughout the 1800’s, Salamanca was one of the largest whaling ports in the world and has been evolving ever since.

When TacoTaco first appeared in Hobart in 2012, the line-up for casual Mexican fare was long and the need for a street food scene was clear.

Where has the year gone?!” A familiar comment that is made just before the ‘silly season’ commences. Like a meeting at the UN the tension is palpable as relatives from far and wide come together. Some may have grudges buried deep within for decades, released in no time by a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. Unfortunately, police and support services have to respond to a spike in family violence over the Christmas and New Year period.

Skipping the gym, staying up late and making unhealthy food choices? As the festive season approaches we often let our healthy routines slide, thinking we’ll get back on track in the New Year. But these five simple food and drink swaps will help you to stay well over the Christmas break – and into next year. Where to start? With breakfast.

After all this talk of voting in local elections, as well as by elections on the big island, did you know that one of Hobart’s own created the system that we use to vote in Tasmanian elections, way back in 1896? And now, the electoral area known as ‘Denison’ is set to change to ‘Clark’ for the next Federal election to honour Andrew Inglis Clark (1848-1907), one of the architects of the voting system we use in Tasmania.

Have you ever heard of the Great Pacific Gyre, aka the Great Pacific garbage patch? These days, chances are you have. You may have also watched YouTube videos of turtles with plastic straws up their noses, or albatross carcasses laden with plastic.

We are all guilty of over-indulging our screen time. The average person reportedly checks their mobile phone 150 times a day and 68% sleep with their devices next to their beds.

The Hobart Zoo was started by a passionate socialite described as a “human dynamo” and was famously home to the last living thylacine.

When you think about Antarctica, what things come to mind? Probably penguins and icebergs, perhaps even international collaboration and research stations, but I’m guessing corals wouldn’t even make the long list, let alone the short one.

When visitors stop to gaze at picturesque Richmond Bridge they might not imagine a history of whippings and murder.

As the days get shorter and darker, Tasmanians are being urged to top up their Vitamin D with sunlight – and supplements.

The fires that swept through remote (and not-so-remote) areas of the Tasmanian bush earlier this year were estimated to have burned close to 200,000 hectares, about twice as much area as was burned in the last major fires, in 2016.

Climate change are two words very familiar in our conversations and language now. Once occasional sound bites in the media decades ago, the 21st century has seen an ever increasing awareness and public opinion focused on the subject.

It’s time to slash your ‘to do’ list and switch off your screens. The state of ‘overwhelm’ is increasingly highlighted by wellness practitioners as the inability to think clearly and emotionally manage all the tasks we’ve set for ourselves.

Murray Street was named after Captain John Murray, commandant of Hobart Town from 1810 until 1812.

Tall stalks tower above you, rising over 30 metres from the ground. Light filters through the canopy, softly illuminating a diverse and complex understory. The leaves sway gently, providing cover for a huge variety of species. You sense movement from the corner of your eye, and suddenly come face to face with a giant cuttlefish!

“You always think you’re right and I always end up being the loser in these arguments!” “If you hadn’t spent all that money then we wouldn’t be in this mess right now!”

The tiny chick gives a violent heave and a stream of water, bile, and surprisingly large chunks of plastic comes spewing out of its gaping beak. I feel a twinge of revulsion mixed with deep concern…not too dissimilar from what I felt nursing my own child through bouts of gastro.

Does a fear of flying stop you from venturing off the island? Many Tasmanians battle with flight phobia – overwhelming anxiety experienced on take-off, during turbulence or simply at the thought of being up in the air.

Kunanyi / Mt Wellington or simply ‘the mountain’ to us locals, Hobart’s most significant landmark was formed during the Permian, Triassic and Jurassic ages.

You might remember last month, in response to all the talk of Harry and Meghan borrowing Elton John’s private jet a few too many times, we unpacked the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) established in Australia as a successor to the controversial carbon tax.

Ever heard the expression ‘Buckley’s chance’? One theory is that it refers to escapee convict William Buckley who came to live with an indigenous community near Port Phillip in Victoria from 1803 to 1835.

Fires, climate change, water shortages, wildlife apocalypse…I don’t know about you, but from where I sit, things are feeling pretty bleak right now.

There’s an outdated equation running through your head that’s stopping you from living your best life: The more in control I am = the happier I’ll be.

Early Hobart’s Wapping district was known for grisly murders, prostitution and poverty. It was also the economic centre of town in the first years of settlement and home to Australia’s oldest working theatre, the Theatre Royal.

Think of the most compassionate person you know. Bring to your mind their kindness, generosity, and caring nature. Picture their gentle, smiling face, willing to offer a helping hand at the drop of a hat.

On a site where only the outside walls remain, how do you help visitors contextualise what happened inside those walls? At the Cascades Female Factory site in South Hobart, actor Karissa Lane, together with director Craig Lane-Irons and writer Finegan Kruckemeyer have created The Proud & The Punished, a 45-minute monologue to share the horrifying, heart-warming and sad stories of the women and babies, who went through the site from 1828 until 1856. At any given time there were between 700 and 1200 prisoners.

Devastating bushfires on mainland Australia strikes vivid memories to those of us who lived through the 1967 bushfires in Southern Tasmania when 62 lives and 1293 homes were lost.

Staying up late knowing you’ve got an early start. Picking a petty argument with your partner. Having that third slice of pizza when you’re aiming to lose weight or deciding that watching YouTube tutorials on how to build an elevated garden bed is suddenly more important than finishing off tomorrow’s presentation.

My 5-year-old son Maxwell recently declared that his favourite animals are “the dangerous ones, because apex predators help keep the ecosystem healthy.” While his definition lacks nuance, fundamentally he is correct.