New New New

After months of anticipation, Turkish Tukka (160 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay) have opened their southern site, after being a favourite in Launceston for so long. A casual eatery with a focus on authentic Turkish foods, think kebabs with meats cooked over charcoal, falafel, salads, sweets, with Turkish tea and coffee to enjoy too. Scottish and French cuisine combine with local Tasmanian produce at Oirthir (357 Marion Bay Road, Bream Creek). Pronounced “oor-heed”, it has opened in the site that was formerly Van Bone. Coffee joint 5.0 Espresso (88 Jetty Road, Old Beach) is opening their second shop, a waterside coffee saloon built inside a shipping container serving specialty coffee – you might know them from their Bellerive location. Opening any day now and built from the ground up, Tidal Coffee (118 Surf Road, Seven Mile Beach) is another shipping container cafe where you can get your coffee by the beach. Dogs are welcome. Indian-inspired cuisine has hit the east coast with the pop-up Biji Dining (1A Franklin Street, Swansea), taking over The Waterloo Inn space for summer. The Melbourne team creates dishes inspired by the owner’s childhood in Punjab. Easy Tiger (7 Pendrigh Place, St Helens), one of St Helens’ hangouts, has relaunched after a makeover. More than just a cinema, it’s now a micro-brewery, eatery, and beer garden. On Bruny Island, bruny NORTH (18 Bruny Island Main Road, Bruny Island) is a new multipur­pose space that will host exhibitions, workshops, private dinners, special events, artists residencies and more.

NORTHERN CHARITY BOOST

Devonport-based food relief charity Loaves and Fishes Tasmania, who deliver ready-made meals state­wide, has received a big boost. The Tasmanian Government has invested $2.5 million into the not-for-profit, which will empower it to deliver greater access to nutritious food to those who need it most. They’ll be able to upgrade infrastructure, create new jobs, traineeships and apprentice­ships, and work hand-in-hand with more local farmers and producers.

HOBART’S CROWTHER PROJECT MOVES FORWARD

There’s a new update in the Crowther statue project. The City of Hobart has removed the box around the Crowther plinth in Franklin Square and put up temporary signage, marking the end of phase three of the Crowther Reinterpreted project. They’re also doing some repair work to fully clean off the spray paint from last year’s vandalism. The next phase will focus on commissioning and installing interpretive elements. “When the next stage is complete, there will be a new creative installation that provides a range of interesting information for the public to understand more about our colonial past,” Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds elaborated. No word yet on when this will be completed.

CHANGES TO PRINCESS THEATRE

Launceston’s Princess Theatre and Earl Arts Centre Complex is receiving a $12.7 million investment from the Federal Government for major revamp. The redevelopment is planned for 2026 and is being designed by architectural firm Lovell Chen. “The project aims to improve both the Princess Theatre and Earl Arts Centre for patrons, performers, hirers and staff by making the complex more accessible and compliant with contemporary building standards,” Mayor Matthew Garwood said. “The total seating capacity of the Earl Arts Centre will be increased, and its name will change to the Earl Street Theatre.”

FRACKING STILL ON ICE

Fracking will remain banned in Tas­mania until at least 2030. Minister for Business, Industry and Resources, Eric Abetz, said the Tasmanian Govern­ment would maintain the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for hydrocarbon resource extraction for a further five years, until March 2030. “This was a ban we initially put in place in 2015 in response to concerns from our farmers and the community more broadly and which we extended in 2020. Now we’re extending it again,” Minister Abetz said.

LIVERPOOL STREET BIKE LANES

New, temporary bike lanes were recently added to Liverpool Street between Campbell and Argyle Streets. The City of Hobart also added eight short-term public parking spots, five police parking spots, and one loading zone. These changes are only tempo­rary while they work on reinstating car parking near the Royal Hobart Hospital, and will stay in place until construction work on the Liverpool Street side of the RHH starts up again later this year.

KNIFE DETECTION TRIAL EXTENDED

A trial allowing Tasmania Police to con­duct non-invasive searches for knives with hand-held metal detection wands is being extended after seeing promising results from its initial two-month rollout. The trial mostly takes place in locations such as retail outlets, popular night spots, and on public transport. To date, more than 50 searches have been conducted resulting in the confiscation of 10 dangerous items, including eight knives. The trial will be extended until 2 April, 2025.

TRACK YOUR BUS IN REAL TIME

You can now track Hobart bus services operated by Metro Tasmania and Kinetic in real time, as well as the Derwent Ferries service between Hobart and Bellerive. This feature lets you see exactly when your bus or ferry will arrive. You can use the interac­tive map to find your bus stop, check how far away buses are, and see when they’ll be at your stop. The Tasmanian Government is working with transport providers to roll this out across the state and is also teaming up with Google to get real-time tracking on Google Maps soon. Metro is updating its app to include this feature in its journey planner. To check out the real-time info or learn more about the rollout, visit www.transport.tas.gov.au/real-time.

TASSIE HERO FINALLY RECOGNISED

The Big Penguin, a landmark on Tasmania’s north-west coast for almost 50 years, has been granted heritage status. Built in just one week in 1975 to celebrate Penguin’s 100th birthday, it’s the first of Tasmania’s 12 ‘big things’ to get this recognition by the Tas­manian Heritage Council. A well-deserved recognition for one of Tasmania’s least problematic statues.

NEW GYM FOR BRIGHTON

Hobart Gymnastics Academy Inc. (HGA) will soon get a new home in Bridgewater, thanks to $2.5 million in support from the Tasmanian Government. HGA requires a new facility to continue to meet current and anticipated future demand in Brighton and southern Tasmania, with over 500 people using the existing facility. “These new facilities will not only provide a safe and inspiring space for young people to develop their talents, but will also be a hub for all ages from all over Greater Hobart to pursue their gymnastics goals,” said Brighton Mayor Leigh Gray. “This is an exciting step forward for our community, and we can’t wait to see the positive impact it will have for years to come.” HGA expects the new facility to cost a total of around $5 million.

LAUNNIE WINS BIG AT TINY TOWN AWARDS

Launceston was the overall winner of the 2024 Sustainable Communities Tidy Towns Awards, run by Keep Australia Beautiful Tasmania. These awards celebrate towns, cities, and communities making a real impact on sustainability and the environment. Along with the top trophy, Launces­ton took home several other wins: the Waste Prevention and Reduction award; the Litter Award for the Spring Clean Rocherlea project; and shared the Behaviour Change Award for its “Reminder to be Kinder” cam­paign. The city also earned a Highly Commended under Environment & Sustainability, and won the Population Category for towns with over 5,000 people. Launceston was recognised with Certificates of Excellence for initiatives like the Repair Café and its events program, which includes Harmony Week, Refugee Week, International Women’s Day, and a range of exhibitions at QVMAG. An exhaustive list! Richmond was award­ed a Special Heritage & Culture prize for its Bicentenary event, which took four years to plan and showcased the town’s heritage, culture, and diversity. The KABTas Young Legends award went to Engage Youth Cove Creek, a group from Gagebrook working to create a youth-friendly hangout space. Michael Casey from Brighton was honoured as the Local Hero for his community work. As the overall winner, Launceston will now represent Tasmania at the national KAB awards, hosted by Beechworth in Victoria, the 2024 national winner, sometime later this year.

SOUTH HOBART SPORTING FACILITY APPROVED

The green light has been given for upgrades at the South Hobart Oval, with a new sports and recreation building on the way at 6 Washington Street. The two-storey building will have change rooms and amenities on the ground floor and club rooms, reception, a canteen, and decks on the upper level. There will also be some changes to pedestrian access, like replacing a path with wider steps.

SWIM LIKE A FISH

Hobart is hosting a national champi­onships this month – the Australian Finswimming Championships 2025 – taking place at the Hobart Aquatic Centre on 16 February. Finswimming is an underwater swimming sport, broken up into four main techniques, where athletes race against each other with the use of floating and breathing equipment like masks, fins, snorkels and a scuba diving set. More than 70 countries participate in finswimming and it’s a growing sport in Australia. Tasmanian finswimmers are some of the best in the country, and have brought home many medals from inter­national competition. Last year was the first time they took two junior compet­itors to the international competition in Thailand and both took home medals. Finswimming will also be present at the Royal Hobart Regatta Association’s Trans Derwent and Double Derwent Swim on 9 February, 7am-12pm.

NEW BUS CENTRE IS BUSSIN’

A development application (DA) for a new regional bus transit centre in Launceston was submitted to the Launceston City Council, making the much-desired facility one step closer to reality. The DA will allow 25 St John Street to be transformed into a modern regional transit centre and replace the current temporary stop on Charles Street. “This new transit centre will significantly enhance comfort and convenience for passengers travel­ling on inter-regional bus services,” Minister for Transport, Eric Abetz said. Once the DA is approved – a process that is expected to take around five weeks from the submission date, which was 21 January – construction will get underway. Construction is expected to take around 10 weeks. The proposed development will include an indoor waiting area, restrooms, ticket sales facilities and luggage storage.

WHOLESOME FEMALE FACTORY MYSTERY

Lately, someone’s been dressing up the Martha statue outside South Hobart’s Cascades Female Factory in stylish crocheted outfits. This statue, made by the famous sculptor Rowan Gillespie, was inspired by a female convict’s ancestor. People usually put flowers on her, but now she’s been dressed in beautifully crocheted pieces. The identity of the person or people behind this is a total mystery. The Female Factory would love to know who it is, so if it’s you, reach out to them today!

CANCER CENTRE ONE STEP CLOSER

A concept design has been released for the new S.H.E. Cancer Wellness Centre, to be developed and operated by the gynae­cological cancer group Support Hope and Education (S.H.E) in partnership with the University of Tasmania and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Group. Located across from the Royal Hobart Hospital, the centre will offer support and comfort to Tasmanians undergoing cancer treatment.

75 NEW DOCTORS ON THE WAY

Tasmania’s newest doctors have officially started their careers in public hospitals across the state. A total of 75 new grad­uates began their placements at the start of the year, with 18 more joining them in March. During their first year, they’ll get to experience a wide range of specialties, like emergency, surgery, and general medicine, to gain widespread experience.

THE FARES ON THE BUS GO DOWN AND DOWN…BY HALF

All public transport in Tasmania is half price for everyone until 30 June 2025. There is no need to apply or do anything, fares are automatically half price. By everyone, we mean everyone. This applies to adult, concession, urban, non-urban, and child/ student fares, and involves operators such as Metro Tasmania, Tassielink Transit, Kinetic, Manions Coaches, Calows Coachers, Area Connect, Derwent Ferries, and all govern­ment-contracted school bus services. Why so generous? It’s to help with cost of living relief, reduce traffic congestion, and encour­age first-time public transport users.

DON RIVER RAILWAY CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

Between 14-16 February, the Don River Railway near Devonport will celebrate its 50th anniversary as a volunteer-run vintage railway and museum. The event will showcase much of Tasmania’s railway and transport history and will feature the largest gathering of visiting railway locomotives in the state’s history. Rail fans might prick their ears up at the marquee line-up, which includes the West Coast Wilderness Railway’s ABT3 Steam Locomotive, the Tasmanian Transport Museum’s C22 Steam Locomotive, the Red Water Creek Krauss Steam Locomotive, and the Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway Locomotive. The first two will operate passenger trains throughout the event, adding to Don River Railway’s own locomotive fleet. Other highlights include a model railway show, displays of engines, locomotives, carriages, vintage cars, buses, and more. There will also be workshops, vintage photo opportunities, food and drink stalls, farm animals, face painting, and market stalls. The Don River Railway is a not-for-profit organisation, run by its members and volunteers. Established in 1973 at Don, the railway began operating in November 1976. Its main train journey runs along the eastern bank of the Don River to a junction at Coles Beach, with heritage locomotives and carriages on display throughout the grounds and workshop.

SEE MOVIES FORA DOLLAR

Interested in seeing films for just over $1 per film? You can do that if you join the Hobart Film Society (HFS), the oldest currently-operating film society in Australia. This year they’re screening 45 films, making just over $1 a film. The HFS shows films from a range of genres – comedy, drama, horror, thriller, western, musical, sci-fi, documentary and others more difficult to classify. They emphasise classic and landmark movies, and show a significant number of Australian and New Zealand films where they can.

“Hobart’s film society began in 1946 and is the oldest continuously oper­ating Film Society in Australia,” said Megan Hale, a committee member and bookings officer with the HFS. “So Hobartians love their films.” The Film Society screens every Monday night at 7:30pm at Criterion House behind the Mathers building in Bathurst Street, and can enjoy conversation, tea, coffee, and biscuits. Following the requirements of Film Societies, they cannot have people coming on the night and paying to see a film – one must join the society for the year. Head to the Hobart Film Society website at www.sites.google.com/site/hobartfilmsociety for more information. HFS membership lasts for 12 months from the date of joining, and costs $57 ($52 concession) for singles, and $94 ($87 concession) for doubles.

DAMN GOOD MATES PLAY HOT POTATO

Tassie’s country stars The Wolfe Brothers have teamed up with none other than The Wiggles on a new song. The song, which is out now, is called Dorothy Doll and it will feature on The Wiggles’ upcoming country album, Wiggle Up, Giddy Up!, set for release on 7 March. “Tom just became the coolest Dad and Nick the coolest Uncle!” the brothers shared on social media. “It was such a great experience to be able to work with the guys and girls.” The Wolfe Brothers join the likes of Dolly Parton, Lainey Wilson, and Orville Peck as collaborators on the album, which aims to get young people into country while delighting parents with nods to classic sounds

NEW HOBART WALKING TRACK

Construction on a new, family-friendly track began in January and is expected to be finished by May. The track will take visitors from Waterworks Reserve past Gentle Annie Falls and connect to the Pipeline Track. This wide track will be perfect for young families, kids on bikes, and parents with prams. The Gentle Annie Falls Access Trail will be closed during construction, and there might be short-term closures of Gentle Annie Falls Track. All other tracks in the reserve will stay open. There might be fewer parking spaces available during the project, but the barbecue sites can still be booked. The new 2.3 km track will gently wind uphill, taking visitors to the popular Gentle Annie Falls heritage site and then below beautiful sandstone bluffs. You’ll also see a cool piece of local history that had been hidden by the surrounding bush: a sandstone pipe-head well built in 1883, which was a key part of the historic mountain water supply system. The plan is to build a viewing platform over the newly-redis­covered stonework. The pipe-head well was originally fed by an open channel running down from Gentle Annie Falls. It screened water before it was fed by gravity down to the Receiving House below.

FANCY A FELINE?

Ten Lives Cat Centre is urgently calling for more foster carers as kitten season reaches its peak. With 220 kittens currently in care and only 179 foster carers available, the centre is seeking an additional 30-40 carers to open their homes to cats and kittens in need. “We would encourage people who are willing to look after both cats and kittens in Foster Care,” Mr Hunt said. “If you want to care for kittens, you will get to care for kittens. But people who are also willing to care for cats will be looked after.” Find out more at www.tenlives.com.au/foster.

A GREAT SERVE FOR TASSIE TENNIS

The 30th Hobart International Tennis Tournament was a great success. McCartney Kessler was crowned the Singles Champion and Xinyu Jiang and Fang-Hsien Wu took home the Doubles Trophy. To celebrate the tournament’s 30th anniversary, local tennis great Angie Cunningham was posthumously inducted into the Tennis Tasmania Hall of Fame. The Angie Cunningham Trophy is also named after Angie, who passed away in 2016. The Tasmanian Government has provided funding to support the delivery of the Hobart International through to 2027.

LAUNCESTON’S BRIGHTEST STARS

The City of Launceston has announced the winners of its 2025 Community Recognition Awards, which are awarded each year to community members and event organisers who have made a significant contribution to Launceston. David Dunn was named Citizen of the Year. Dunn has been involved in major events in Tasmania for over 30 years, including as chairman of the Festivale committee. Launceston Parkrun was named Event of the Year. At this free weekly commu­nity event, which has been ‘running’ since November 2012, participants walk, jog, run or spectate a five kilometre course and is entirely coordinated by volunteers. The Sports Award went to Rodney Eiszele, who has been a continuous playing member of the Mowbray Golf Club since 1962. The Youth Citizen of the Year Award was presented to two winners, Nastaran Jafari and Jack Duncan. Mayor Garwood said that despite being only 15 years old, Nastaran had already become an inspirational member of the Launceston com­munity. “Her contributions span a wide range of initiatives, including representation on the Launceston City Council Youth Advisory Group, volunteering with NGOs such as the Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania, and supporting newly arrived migrant students in her school,” Mayor Garwood said. Jack Duncan, 17, was recognised for his service to the Launceston community, including volunteering with St John’s Ambulance at many Launceston events and advocating for Epilepsy Tasmania and the Waste Not, Want Not environmen­tal sustainability program in Launceston.

CROCS ON THE LOOSE AT CADBURY MARATHON

At the recent Cadbury Marathon, Adelaide runner Dan Camac accomplished something a bit unusual: he ran the marathon in Crocs. Not only that, with a time of 2 hours and 49 minutes, he set an unofficial world record for the fastest marathon run in Crocs. This was no accident – Dan set out with this goal in mind. That would’ve been hard on the calves.

SECRET GARDEN GETS SECOND LIFE

A secret corner of the Hobart Town Hall is seeing upgrades led by Hannah Moloney, one of the hosts on the ABC’s Gardening Australia. That would be the Lord Mayor’s Garden, a small green space tucked along the northern edge of the building. Despite being open to the public, it’s rarely used. Moloney is leading a project to make the site more resilient, diverse, and alive. More than a dozen young people from across Hobart came together late last year to brainstorm ways to improve the site. “I’ve got so much good juicy stuff to work with and I’m going to pull it into some draft concept designs,” Moloney said. “There’s going to be some incredible things here that we can bring to life so definitely watch this space.”

THE TASSIE STRONG WOMAN OF STRONGMAN

An elite strength athlete in the sports of Strongman and Powerlifting, Nickola Orr will be competing in the Nationals this month.

What is Strongman and Powerlifting? They are both strength sports that focus on maximal expressions of strength. Most people know what Strongman is without realising it because it’s hard to forget seeing someone pull a plane or lift a rock! Powerlifting is a bit more rigid, centring around three specific lifts; a barbell squat, bench, and deadlift.

How did you get into it? As a teenager I thought I was an absolute fitness failure and swore off sports for life. As a young adult I found myself around people who were lifting weights. I consumed so much lifting content trying to understand the appeal. By the time I went to see Tassie’s Strongest in 2019 and met the incredible women competing, it was an easy sway to get me to come along to the next Strongman class!

Tell us about the nationals. I’ll be competing in Australian Powerlifting Alliance Nationals 2025, which is the IPF Affiliated nationals (meaning that it is a qualifier for the highest level of tested Powerlifting in the world). I’m competing against three former junior world champions. We all have very similar numbers, so it’s going to be a really fun battle to see who can put it together on the day. I think they underestimate the strength that can come out of little ol’ Tassie.

What do you wish more people knew about being an athlete in these sports? I think the percep­tion around strength sports from the outside is the belief that it’s only something really muscly people do – either the influencer or meathead types. But really, it’s for everyone (even if you don’t take it to the level that strength athletes do!).

Tell us about your coaching and what you enjoy about it. Understanding strength and helping people understand their own strength is my special interest, and presents me with rewarding challenges and opportunities to make a measurable difference in an individual’s life. I have athletes who have been working towards the heaviest national competition in Strongman for three years, com­peting for the first time this year. I’ve also had clients who’ve had to get their glasses changed because the drop in their blood pressure improved their vision!

You can follow Nickola’s journey on Instagram @trashman_fitspo. She’ll be competing on 23 February, and the livestream will be available on YouTube.

WEEEEEEEE

Kids of Hobart might remember the excitement of zooming down the long slide at Parliament Street Reserve in Sandy Bay before it was taken down for safety reasons. Well, a brand-new slide is on its way. At 15 metres long, it’ll be the biggest slide in Hobart. The City of Hobart will also be adding some big dolerite rocks, new gardens, a picnic table, and gravel paths to make the spot more family-friendly. The project is expected to be finished in March.

GET A GRIP

The Hobart Hoist is Tasmania’s top annual grip strength competition, and it’s back for its fourth edition on 15 February at Raw Strength in Moonah. Sanctioned by Grip Sport International, this event gives athletes the chance to test their grip strength across three tough challenges: the Wrist Wrench, Andrew’s Axle Bar Deadlift, and Hub Lift. Competitors will go head-to-head for titles like Highest Total, Pound-for-Pound, and Highest Wrist Wrench, with categories for both men and women. The action kicks off at 10am, and anyone interested in competing can sign up online. Spectators are welcome to come along and cheer on the athletes. For more information, visit www.strongforlife.online/hobart-hoist.

FICTION OUT LOUD

A small writers’ group in southern Tasmania has come up with a big idea. The Eastern Shore Writers have scored a grant from Clarence City Council and are launching a short fiction showcase. Inspired by Liars League, which are popular live fiction events in London, Leeds, New York, and Hong Kong, eight writers will each receive $250, and their stories will be performed by professional Tasmanian actors at the inaugural Fiction Out Loud event, set for Hobart in Autumn 2025. Tasmanian residents can submit their stories for free, with the theme for this first event being “Mistaken Identity.” Writers can interpret the theme however they like, but stories must be between 800 and 1,000 words. Submissions close on 16 February. For full details, go to www.fictionoutloud.com.