Location and Attractions East Tasmania, for the purposes of this project, extends from Musselroe Bay in the north to Swansea in the south. This area is detailed in Figure 2. Tasmania’s East Coast has some of Australia’s most celebrated natural coastline and beaches, including the Freycinet Peninsula and the Bay of Fires. The tourism industry in the region has developed to cater for, firstly, Tasmanian visitors who routinely take holidays in the area, including at the many beachside holiday homes; and secondly for the interstate and international visitors who are travelling around the State or who are making special visits to the high end resorts in the area. The key visitor node is the small town of Coles Bay, at the entry to the Freycinet National Park. The town and surrounds has several international standard resorts as well as a wide range of other accommodation types. The coastal towns of St Helens, Bicheno and Swansea provide the sub-regional service centres for the area and these are supported by a number of smaller towns and settlements such as Ansons Bay, Binalong Bay, Scamander and Falmouth. Notable built attractions include: Bay of Fires Lodge Walk – a guided four day walk staying in luxury lodges Saffire Freycinet – an international standard luxury resort at Coles Bay Freycinet Lodge – a luxury resort within the Freycinet National Park. is a range of other commercial attractions including guided tours, boat hire and a growing winery sector. Most of these attractions rely on the outstanding natural beauty of the area and its “unspoilt” character. National Parks and an extensive series of public land reserves cover much of the area (see Figure 2) and comprise: Apsley Conservation Area Bay of Fires Conservation Area Coles Bay Conservation Area Doctors Peak State Reserve Douglas Apsley National Park Freycinet National Park Humburg Point Nature Recreation Area Little Beach State Reserve Lower Marsh Creek Forest Reserve Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve MountPearson State Reserve MountWilliam National Park Musselroe Bay Conservation Area Scamander Conservation Area St Helens Point State Recreation Area St Patricks Head State Reserve The natural assets – landscapes, ecosystems and heritage places - contained in the public reserve system are the chief attractions of the region. It is these assets that must be protected and enhanced in any sustainable development of tourism in the area.
7 Existing and Emerging Policies Many organisations are involved in the development of tourism policy affecting the study region, as shown in the following diagram. Figure 35: Tourism policy connections, East Coast Tasmania Tourism Australia Brand Australia – research and marketing “No no life” – encouraging Australians to take short holiday breaks in their own backyard “Australia’s National Landscapes Program” – “an initiative that aims to achieve conservation, social and economic outcomes for Australia and its regions via the promotion of superlative nature-based tourism experiences. The Program will help to ensure that our natural and cultural experiences are protected for our future and enjoyed by locals and visitors in a sustainable manner.” Most of Tasmania is a National Landscape in this program, including the East Coast Region. The program aims, in part, to leverage iconic landscapes to generate tourism investment and sustainable visitation. Tourism Tasmania Maximise the contribution of tourism to Tasmania's economic growth East Coast Regional Tourism Destination development and marketing Parks and Wildlife Service Manage, develop and promote visitor services in parks and Tourism Northern Tasmania Destination development and marketing Tourism Industry Council aims of the Australian Government’s Sustainable Regional Development Pprogram, is part-funding the present project. Tourism Tasmania Tourism Tasmania’s latest strategic plan – Tourism 21 – aims to lift international and interstate visitor spending from a forecast of $1.80 billion in 2021 to $2.05 billion. The key market is interstate visitors. The plan focuses on four key factors: Marketing Access Product development Workforce development Break O’Day, Dorset and Glamorgan/Spring Bay Councils Infrastructure and destination development Tourism Operators 7.1 Tourism Australia The key role of Tourism Australia is marketing Australian destinations to international audiences. It also has roles in market research, in coordinating access arrangements and in providing general advice on industry development. Current programs relevant to East Coast Tasmania are: “There’s nothing like Australia” – general international marketing campaign Under the heading of product development, a key action of interest to this project is: Securing legislation and approvals for tourism activity in natural areas, and supporting the creation of iconic tourism infrastructure developments in these areas Tourism Tasmania, 2013 This strategy remains in place following the change of Government. Clearly, State Government is keen to ensure that Parks and Reserves can contribute to economic outcomes whilst preserving the natural and cultural values for which they were established.
Douglas Apsley Precinct location The Douglas Apsley Precinct is a relatively small precinct, with the southern boundary of this precinct defined by the municipal boundary between Break O’Day and Glamorgan / Spring Bay Councils. Chain of Lagoons is the northernmost settlement with precinct identified predominately by Douglas Apsley National Park. settlements The precinct has limited settlements, with the largest being Chain of Lagoons and no towns with facilities. The relevant populations are outlined below: tourist attractions Douglas Apsley Precinct has the following natural and cultural features: Templestowe Lagoon Denison Beach Long Point The following and Reserves are found within this precinct: Douglas Apsley National Park Chain of Lagoons 141 Seymour NA Douglas River NA There are no camping sites within the precinct, however one does exist on the south-western edge of the precinct within Douglas Apsley National Park. A caravan park is located at Douglas River.
Moulting Lagoon Precinct location Moulting Lagoon Precinct is one of the larger precinct and forms a transition to more inland areas. It includes the coasts second largest town (Bicheno) and the northern extents of Freycinet National Park. The large Ramsar Listed wetland system of Moulting Lagoon is the defining feature, although the precinct extends west to include wineries along the A3 and the major service centre of Swansea. towns/ settlements The precinct has two major towns with facilities (Bicheno and Swansea) and a number of smaller residential settlements are also located within the Moulting lagoon Precinct. Their populations are as follows: tourist attractions Moulting Lagoon Precinct has the following natural and cultural features: Nature World Sealife Centre, Marine Reserve Cape Lodi Couland Bay Friendly Beachs Apsley Marshes (RAMSAR listed) Wineries Moulting Lagoon (RAMSAR listed) Bark, Mill, Wine and Wool Centre The following Parks and Reserves are found within this precinct: Bicheno 853 Swansea 597 Freycinet National Park Dolphin Sands 279 Swanswick NA Landaff NA Cranbrook NA Apslawn NA Coles Bay Area Apsley Conservation Area Apslawn Forest Reserve Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve
14101 Cape Portland Geological Monuments Natural Registered Gladstone 27.00 51 102398 Mount William Area Natural Indicative Gladstone 102404 Ringarooma Coastal Reserve Natural Indicative Place Tomahawk 154 1.4 The following THR places are located in Precinct 1 THR ID Name Address 1418 Swan Island Station - Figure 6: Known Cultural Heritage in Precinct 1