Award-winning American crime writer R D Zimmerman has also agreed to participate in some sessions, providing another perspective of current trends in crime publishing. This popular program places participants in the Tasmanian outdoors every day. John co-ordinates several specialists to accompany the group as they explore and hear the background to each of the special localities. The group spends each night in countryside motels, including one night at Lake Pedder on the West Coast. The exotic trees of the rainforest, the dry forests and the rugged sea coastline are all covered in this practical and most enjoyable program.
Several lectures complement the carefully designed daily excursions.
During this activity-based program participants experience the full range of buildings and lifestyles associated with the early days of Van Diemen's Land and the early days of statehood. They go inside significant buildings to interact with owners who have restored or are restoring their homes. They use the facilities and expertise of the National Trust but range across Southern Tasmania. Each night is spent in amtoel strategically located to take advantage of the locality and so further extend opportunities for participants. This five-day course involves the application of science and technology to the search for deposits of the mineral and fuel commodities that underpin industrial society.