ARE you keen to show your true colours on Australia Day?
What better way than snapping this colourful cap?
You can get your very own for just $1 when you buy a copy of tomorrow's Sunday Tasmanian.
CROWDS came from all directions to enjoy the third day of MONA FOMA.
Hundreds flocked to the sold-out MOFO Eastern Shore performance at the Rosny Barn last night.
Indian tabla player Bickram Ghosh, who has played with the late George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, took the audience on a wild ride with his drumming combined with electronics and Hindustani vocals.
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra trombonist Don Bate, tuba player Tim Jones, saxophonist Danny Healy and berimbau player Christine Guidici improvised traditional folk songs.
And the crowd was spooked by the eerie ghost story of a lonely shipwright's bargain with a banshee.
The story featured live drawings by Christopher Downes and a soundtrack by Joshua Santospirito.
MOFO devotees rushed back across the river to catch Brooklyn band Dirty Projectors play their lyrical melodic indie pop songs at MOFO central at PW1.
And many capped off a perfect balmy Hobart evening by taking a magical mystery ride through FAUX MO the after-hours festival club at a secret city location.
Tonight, an 11-piece orchestra will bring a children's novel to life with the sound of instruments including saxophone, violin, synthesizers, percussion, and a vacuum cleaner.
Conductor Ben Walsh said Shaun Tan's book The Arrival, which tells the story of a refugee, had had an immediate impact on him and he wanted to share it with audiences.
"The novel is projected picture by picture, then we add the emotive response of music for a filmic experience," he said.
MONA FOMA curator Brian Ritchie said the festival had so far drawn big crowds that had seen some great performances and there was plenty still to come.
"The morning meditation concerts at the cathedral have been popular. We've had to turn people away," he said.
"People should check out All Fires -- they are one of the best of the local bands."
Australian band Graveyard Train will play last tonight at PW1.
"They are my favourite Australian band, they've got a raw Australian bush sound," Ritchie said.
PETTY criminals, graffiti vandals and those responsible for anti-social behaviour have been warned: you will be caught.
Big brother is watching and his view has just improved dramatically with the roll-out of 20 hi-tech cameras in Glenorchy and five more in Sandy Bay. The new cameras mean Tasmania has reached a CCTV milestone with more than 500 tiny eyes now monitoring every move on the state's busiest streets.
Hobart's CBD and surrounds now boast more than 90 cameras. Launceston, Burnie and Devonport CBDs are equally wired up, and smaller municipalities in the South Kingborough and Clarence boast more than 20 cameras each.
For some, it is not enough.
"I'd have 190 if I could," Hobart Deputy Mayor and long-time CCTV camera proponent Ron Christie said.
"If it was up to me, they'd be monitored 24-7, especially on weekends."
Inspector Grant Twining, demonstrating the cameras' capabilities and crystal-clear pictures yesterday, said there was no doubt cameras constituted an excellent tool for police, both as a deterrent and an investigatory aid.
"It's right through from the serious crimes like armed robbery, to incidents such as a man drinking from a stubbie of beer in the bus mall yesterday at noon," he said.
"We see something happen on the screen and we can go straight out and deal with it.
"The message to those inclined to do the wrong thing is this we're watching."
Launceston City Council general manager Robert Dobrzynski is equally full of praise for the cameras.
"What we know from long experience is that if you have CCTV in an area where a crime occurs, the likelihood of that offender being caught is substantially increased," he said.
"CCTV is a part of life now, both in Tasmania and around the world. It adds a layer of reassurance to the community that their safety will be protected."
Ald Christie is among those who reject notions of gross privacy invasion, labelling the Australian Privacy Foundation's concerns as "total rubbish".
Foundation vice-chairman David Vaile said the concern was there was a lack of investigation into the true value of CCTV cameras compared with the public perception that they drastically increase safety.
"Vendors and proponents of CCTV cameras tend to sell them as a big emotional you'll-feel-better ploy but if people are still dying, you can't say they're this great safety saviour," he said.
Mr Vaile said the rape and murder of Melbourne woman Jill Meagher was a tragic example of the limitations of CCTV footage.
"Yes, the alleged killer was caught on CCTV footage," he said. "And that might help police, but did it help her? No."
Glenorchy Mayor Stuart Slade is a huge fan of the tiny cameras.
"It's been a 16-year labour of love, but we've done it. We've joined the ranks of other cities with CCTV," he said at the switch-on event yesterday.
"The concerns people had previously were how will we pay for it and who will monitor them.
"Both of those issues have now been solved we've used criminals' money via the Proceeds of Crime Fund, and Tasmania Police is watching."
Senator Carol Brown, who was instrumental in securing the $123,000-plus to pay for the high-definition tilt and zoom cameras at Glenorchy, said the roll-out was good news for Glenorchy residents.
The cameras would enhance public safety and facilities in the Glenorchy area," she said.
"And we are using money taken from criminals to clean up graffiti and stop it happening in the first place."
zara.dawtrey@news.com.au
STEELS Creek is a small and beautiful spot in the Yarra Valley in Victoria. In the Black Saturday 2009 fires, our landscape and our community was devastated by their impact – 10 fatalities, 92 houses destroyed or significantly damaged. Nearly four years on, we're still recovering, rebuilding, reconnecting and learning.
When we saw the tragedy unfolding across the Strait, we wondered about how we might be able to help, particularly given the help we received from Tasmanians in our hours of need. Rather than donating material goods without knowing your needs, we decided we'd like to share our experience with you, in the hope that it may help you to personally cope and to navigate the myriad considerations that will be facing you in the aftermath.
So, we put out a call to our community for people to send in their thoughts, advice and experience about what helped them the most/least and what to focus on, which we have put together in this collective open letter.
Our hearts and thoughts are with you.
Kind regards from the Steels Creek Association Inc.
ON FINANCE/INSURANCE:
- If you lose everything in a bushfire, there are so many problems to tackle that it is easy to be overwhelmed. A good plan is to tackle issues in order of priority and try to forget about the small stuff that can wait for later. You will probably not come out of the situation in as good a financial situation as before, so it is important to put working on your position fairly high on the priority list.
- It can take months to get through an insurance payment. You might think that, after paying insurance for years, the company will be there to help you in your hour of need. Instead you can be faced with an assessor who makes every effort to write down your claim and force you to take less money than you insured for. Agree to nothing until you are sure it is right, and look closely at all the clauses. You may be insured for more than you think. Most companies pay your rent for one year if your home is totally destroyed, but it can take almost this long in some cases to get a payment from them. Because your payment goes into the bank as a lump sum, it will earn taxable interest; spreading it between two people helps lower the amounts you pay, and you will need any interest to offset rises in building costs over the time period. If the money for your house is the biggest asset you have, prioritise dealing with that.
- Take your time with insurance claims. Getting help from an insurance expert can make thousands of dollars' difference, especially for hidden inclusions in policies.
- If your ability to earn a living has been impaired, talk to your bank about whether they can put a hold on loan repayments until you're back on your feet; see what help they are willing to provide .
ON OFFERS OF MATERIAL HELP:
- You can say no when people give you things you don't want or need.
- People in Australia are very generous. Church groups helped us by bringing round water and boxes of essentials. However, a lot of stuff was wasted because it was not exactly what was needed. The best solution was when local communities gathered all donations in what we called ''the free shop'' and allowed people who lost their homes to choose for themselves. This saved on waste, embarrassment and misunderstandings.
- It takes time to get an insurance payout and have a new house built. You can replant a garden, but gifts of plants are usually not helpful on a building site. It might be worth putting furniture and household stuff you are offered into storage because many things are offered far too soon.
- We saved our property, but it was filthy inside and out. We couldn't walk through the house without getting ash and grime on us. I was exhausted and felt no inclination to clean – I had run out of motivation and the ability to pull the effort together. A friend rang (after two weeks) and said simply, "We are coming over for the day with a car full of cleaning gear and food for all of us. We want to clean your house from top to bottom". Many people will ask what they can do to help you. In our opinion, this was the BEST help we could be offered .
- ''Take the money, honey!'' – everything costs and you need clothes, bedding, beds, furniture, kitchen stuff, toiletries, wine, beer, spirits …
ON COPING AND WELLBEING:
- The loss of a family home affects children deeply – even adult children who have grown up in that house. Be prepared for unusual behaviour from all concerned and try to talk about positive things in the future. Go easy on yourself and have time out with family and friends.
- If you plan carefully, you can get through and even feel that the changes you have been forced to make are beneficial.
- By all means, focus on getting yourself a place to live, food to eat and clothes to wear. Attend to your finances and accept whatever support you can get. And then, when you feel a measure of safety and security, find the time and space to register your losses and let yourself feel your grief. Pretending it's not there, hiding it with ''busyness'', will not make it go away. Invest in your long�]term recovery and wellbeing by dealing with your emotions as soon as possible. If possible, share with someone who will understand.
- Each family needs to be guided by its own needs. Everyone will go through their own recovery; there is no one correct way. We have not rushed to get our house and garden back to what they were and so have avoided some of the stresses of recovery.
- Accept help from people, even if this the first time in your life you have needed it and it feels a bit odd.
- Expect the unexpected, both sympathy and total apathy; the latter being very difficult to accept but, sadly, very real. Spend as much time as you can discussing your situation, more so with those who have been through an identical experience. In the process, do not be afraid to release your emotions. Talk, cry, embrace, reflect on the good memories and start the restoration process as soon as possible. Finally, consider yourself not as a ''victim'' but a ''survivor''.
- For me it was very comforting to know that other people were also suffering from ''bushfire brain'' – couldn't take even the simplest decision, just walked past all sorts of things that should have been addressed etc, etc. If a trauma psychologist comes to speak to your community, go to hear him/her; it's wonderfully reassuring. Don't isolate yourself, don't think others are worse off than you, have greater needs etc. Get together whenever possible and talk, talk, talk through the whole ghastly experience. Writing a diary is good too. It really helped me to do both of those things. Google Firefoxes (from Kinglake); they were really switched on. Our thoughts are very much with you all – it's going to be tough; accept that and hang in there.
- If you need it, get accommodation that can be permanent – don't rely on people to cope with you living with them for more than about two weeks .
- Go somewhere green.
- Talk to each other, as you will all go through various emotional states and you are all on the same page, so to speak.
- Get professional help, if you feel you're not coping.
- None of this is your fault, so don't blame yourself for the situations of others.
- You need resilience not to be forced into making hasty decisions that are not in your long-term interests. Most things can be negotiated.
- Realise that your decisions now are clouded with the impact of the personal losses, so take your time with decisions.
- Rebuilding takes a lot more resources than you think. Do things at your own pace.
- Make sure you keep an eye on your own mental state. Also, realise that your partner is processing at their pace and that you are both more than likely stressed.
- You will find solace with others experiencing the same things.
- Do things that make you happy as often as you can.
THE Hobart City Council has vowed to turn the CBD into a magnet for tourists, families and residents in 2013.
Amid concerns from retailers that opening on weekends and public holidays is too costly when the CBD looks like a ghost town, Lord Mayor Damon Thomas says rejuvenating the city centre is a priority.
More trees, more alfresco dining, better seating, better lighting and more events are all high on the agenda.
Mr Thomas said the first area to be rejuvenated would be a $2 million overhaul of Liverpool St to coincide with the redevelopment of Myer.
The Myer project is expected to have building approvals ticked off in coming days, with the first stage of the redevelopment due to be built by Christmas this year.
The approvals will pave the way for work to begin on the $100 million redevelopment of the department store giant, which has been stalled after a trove of archaeological treasure was found at the site.
The uninviting bus mall will also be high on the agenda, with a $250,000 study to consider if it is an appropriate location for the facility.
"Most modern sophisticated cities in the Asia-Pacific region are not placing in the centre of the city a bus mall like we have here," Mr Thomas said.
"They are usually provisioned two or three blocks away so that you have a much better amenity and not buses clogging up your main arterial route in the city itself."
Mr Thomas said the rejuvenation of the bus mall could be completed for an estimated $2 million.
A greater link between the Domain and the CBD, with a top-quality coffee cart on the railway roundabout, were high on the agenda, Mr Thomas said.
Deputy Mayor Ron Christie was still looking at the feasibility of a tram from North Hobart to the waterfront via the CBD, he said.
The Hobart Chamber of Commerce has been encouraging businesses to open on Sundays and public holidays to take advantage of record numbers of tourists arriving at the city on cruise ships.
Chamber chairman Ron Gozzi said yesterday there needed to be more done to entice people into the city.
"What we need to do is incorporate the city into the travel schedule while passengers are still on the ship," he said.
Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman said a clean, tidy presentation and easy access to the CBD was integral to getting tourists into Hobart's CBD.
"Presentation in anything is important - whether it is a shop, an arcade or a website," he said.
Hobart has been ranked the seventh most family-friendly city in Australia, behind Launceston, which was ranked first.
Launceston City Council general manager Robert Dobrzynski said yesterday the council was doing a lot of work to encourage more people into the Launceston CBD.
"The Launceston City Council founded Cityprom in conjunction with CBD retailers to focus promotional activities, advertising and events on the CBD area," Mr Dobrzynski said.
"More recently, the council has introduced parking incentives like the free Tiger Bus, which operates on a 15-minute loop of the city each day, and two hours of free parking in the council-operated multi-storey car parks each afternoon."
He said the council was compiling a Greater Launceston plan that would guide the direction of the city for the next 25 years.
A 16-YEAR-OLD girl was taken to hospital with a dislocated knee last night after falling down an embankment at Launceston's Cataract Gorge.
Police were called out at 8.30pm and arrived to find the teen about 500m from the suspension bridge towards the Duck Reach Power Station.
Officers said the girl had been attempting to climb out of the gorge when she slipped on rocks and fell 10m down an embankment.
Northern police rescue officers said it was necessary to "extract her from the gorge", because of her injury and the difficult terrain, and take her to Launceston General Hospital.
A MAN who punched a woman in the face during an early morning burglary has been jailed for at least 15 months.
Michael John Cowie, 30, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, one charge of aggravated burglary and three charges of attempting to obtain goods by a false pretences.
Supreme Court Justice Peter Evans said Cowie broke into a home about 3.40am on November 10 last year while a 50-year-old couple slept inside.
Once inside he took a set of keys and a wallet containing $600 cash, a $100 gift voucher, credit cards and personal cards, an iPhone, iPad and some reading glasses.
He entered a bedroom and took a handbag and iPhone. When the woman awoke, Cowie punched her so hard to the face she was left with a wound that required seven stitches.
He tried to use credit cards he stole in robberies at three stores and was arrested a couple of days later.
"The defendant's childhood was difficult and involved considerable violence," the judge said. "From the age of 11 he was, in the main, in foster care.
"He has been a cannabis user since the age of nine and an amphetamine user since the age of 11.
"To a substantial extent, his criminal record and the offences for which he is now to be sentenced can be attributed to his addiction to drugs."
Justice Evans jailed Cowie for two years with a minimum term of 15 months.
david.killick@news.com.au
LAUNCESTON is the most family-friendly city in Australia with cheap housing and good education outweighing low incomes and high unemployment, a new report has found.
The Suncorp Bank report, titled the "Family Friendly City Index", found that Launceston was the No.1 city with Hobart coming in at seventh spot out of 30 of Australia's most populous cities.
Former Hobart man Brendan Vince says he is the biggest convert to Launceston.
"I used to bag it out when I lived in Hobart, but now I love the place," he said.
Mr Vince, a teacher, and wife Joanna, a university lecturer, moved from Hobart about eight years ago.
They have a son Zachary.
"It is a great place for kids, everything is so close and housing is much cheaper than Hobart," Mr Vince said.
The index looked at 10 indicators including education, health, crime rates, income, connectivity and unemployment.
Canberra was the top capital city, in second place, with Perth and Adelaide equal fifth.
Of the big three, Melbourne was ranked 14th, ahead of Sydney (23rd) and Brisbane (24th).
Suncorp Bank executive manager Craig Fenwick said the survey found that increasingly the larger, stressful, crowded urban jungles and under-serviced eastern seaboard capitals were being upstaged by regional cities.
"The results reveal for the first time that many regional cities have a better balance of job opportunities, housing affordability, income, school sizes, health services, broadband access and lower crime rates," he said.
THE heartbroken family and friends of Victoria's noble firefighter who lost his life battling the Tasmanian bushfires have described their fallen hero as a practical joker with a relentless passion for protecting others.
Tributes have flowed for Gippsland-based firie Peter Ronald Cramer, 61, whose 30-year volunteer career came to a tragic end on Sunday near Taranna, a hamlet on the Tasman Peninsula, where he was conducting backburn operations.
The veteran volunteer from the town of Tyers, about 160km east of Melbourne, had been working on foot to identify potential containment lines on the southern boundary of the Forcett fire before he was found dead on a track at 5pm.
Mr Cramer's wife, Julie, flew to Tasmania yesterday.
Tyers Fire Brigade first lieutenant Rob Broeren said the "lovely bloke" would be sorely missed.
"He was always a laugh at training, but when it came to fighting fires he was very serious," he said.
"It's a sad loss all around for his family, for everyone."
DSE chief fire officer Alan Goodwin said Mr Cramer had been a DSE firefighter for more than 30 years and a CFA volunteer for more than two decades.
He was a DSE training co-ordinator who also volunteered his time to train CFA volunteers.
"Peter was a well-respected and trusted member of the DSE community," Mr Goodwin told reporters in Melbourne.
"He was a very experienced firefighter.
"He spent a lot of time training and advising a lot of our younger firefighters coming through.
"He knew the bush, and it's a sad loss."
Mr Cramer was one of more than 70 Victorian emergency services workers sent to Tasmania on Thursday to help fight the state's devastating fires, which have destroyed more than 130 properties since January 4.
He was due to return home today but was found dead at 5pm on Sunday on a bush track after he failed to make a scheduled call-in.
Mr Goodwin said the cause of death was unknown, and Mr Cramer had recently passed a fitness test.
"Certainly all our firefighters that we send away, all our firefighters go through our fit-for-fire program, through medical testing and so forth, and Peter was certainly part of that," he said.
Mr Goodwin said he first met Mr Cramer on a deployment to the US in 2003.
"He was always fun, he greeted you with a smile and a solid handshake, and that's how I will remember him," he said.
Mr Goodwin said the most important thing now was to support Mr Cramer's wife Julie and their children.
In a statement, Mr Cramer's wife and family said they wanted to "express how truly well-loved Peter was by everyone who knew him".
Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said losing a firefighter had come as a shock.
"To lose someone in active duty is something you don't plan for," he said.
"We take our caps off to what Peter has done in three decades of service to Victoria through firefighting."
A CFA spokesman said Mr Cramer's colleagues at Swifts Creek and Tyers, where he was a member, had been devastated by the news.
He said Mr Cramer was very well known and well regarded in the Gippsland region because of his work as a trainer.
Mr Cramer would volunteer his time to work with "dozens and dozens and dozens" of new recruits, he said.
"He was a pretty remarkable person," the spokesman said.
"He really dedicated his life to fire management.
"We're supporting his brigade and those in Gippsland who will be feeling his loss pretty deeply."
The Tasmanian and Victorian premiers have sent their condolences to his family.
-- with AAP
Bushfire Recovery Co-ordinator Michael Stevens, left, and recovery taskforce chairman Damian Bugg, QC, outside the Executive Building in Hobart today. Picture: MATT THOMPSON
RESTORING power and cleaning up properties destroyed by fires will be the first priorities of the Bushfire Recovery Taskforce.
Property owners in fire-ravaged regions of the state are being urged to contact the government to register the clean-up for their properties, hoped to be finished within three months.
To register for the clean-up, call 1800 567 567 or click here.
The taskforce will meet as a full team for the first time tomorrow to set a flexible action plan.
"It is important we have a plan the government can sign off on," Taskforce chair Damian Bugg said yesterday.
Mr Bugg said he was hopeful the clean-up would begin this week.
"We want to move quickly to help those people who need it, but I want to stress that this is a long-term job and the health and safety of residents, workers and volunteers is paramount. So, we urge people to be patient."
A broad public consultation also would be high on the agenda to take in the views not only of residents but also industry, Mr Bugg said.
"Any business that operates within a community affected by fire has to be supported, and we have to concentrate on not just rebuilding houses but rebuilding communities.
"It has to be a community-led recovery."
Mr Bugg said the clean-up contractor, Hazell Bros, would be sensitive during the process.
"No demolition or removal of material will be carried out without the consent of property owners," he said.
"However, it is important that once Hazell Bros begins work on the property, owners will not be permitted on site because of the risk of injury from heavy equipment or hazardous material."
Taskforce co-ordinator Michael Stevens said residents would want to scour their properties for mementos that may have survived the fires but urged people to keep safety in mind when accessing their properties.
Premier Lara Giddings restated yesterday that there would be an independent inquiry into the bushfires once the season was over but would not say what the Hazell Bros clean-up contract was worth.
POLICE have released the name of a Victorian firefighter found dead near Taranna yesterday.
Peter Ronald Cramer, 61, from Tyers in Victoria's Gippsland region, was found after he failed to make a scheduled call-in about 4pm.
He was part of a group of more than 70 Victorian firefighters sent to help the Tasmania Fire Service fight the Tasman Peninsula blaze.
Mr Cramer was found 3km from the active fire edge. He had been on foot preparing for backburning east of Taranna at Waterfall Bluff.
It is understood he died of natural causes.
Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu said the state's sympathy and condolences were with those affected by the death of the firefighter.
"Our hearts go out to him, his family, his friends and his colleagues, and I'm sure that will be the case right across Victoria," Mr Baillieu told reporters in Melbourne today.
"It's important that Victorians understand that when it comes to firefighting, we all reach out to support each other.
"Tasmania supported Victorians through the (February 2009) Black Saturday crisis -- we have been doing likewise."
Premier Lara Giddings said she was deeply saddened that a Victorian man had died while working on the Tasmanian bushfires.
"I express my deepest condolences to this brave Victorian's loved ones," Ms Giddings said yesterday.
TFS Chief Officer Mike Brown said the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment firefighter was working to identify potential containment lines on the southern edge of the Forcett fire.
He was undertaking an important task in reducing the risk of fires impacting communities on the Tasman Peninsula, Mr Brown said.
"The thoughts of all Tasmanians and Fire Services around Australia are with this person's family and friends at this tragic time."
A report on Mr Cramer's death is being prepared for the Coroner.
The firefighter's death comes as hundreds of Tasman Peninsula residents return to their homes after the catastrophic bushfires.
Earlier yesterday the region's mayor, Kerry Vincent, said he had spoken to hundreds of people in recent days from displaced residents to firefighters and all were astounded by what a miracle it was that despite the ferocity of the fire not one resident or holidaymaker was killed.
The Sorell mayor said even those who lost homes and businesses were thankful the fire wasn't worse.
"I've talked to a lot of fire crews the last two to three days since the fire calmed down and they are staggered that with the intensity of the fire, and the speed it took over, that there weren't people killed they just can't believe it," Cr Vincent said, after police searched 1040 properties including 200 homes and businesses severely damaged or destroyed and no human remains were found.
"You just don't hear of a bushfire this intense, with this amount of houses lost, without someone being killed ... it's quite remarkable."
Mr Brown credits a "new approach" to firefighting including changes to the way firefighters prepare for and attack fires, along with greater use of social media with preventing loss of life.
He said the ferocity of the fire was comparable to that of other catastrophic bushfires, in Tasmania in 1967 and Victoria in 2009, in which many lives were lost. But changes made as a result of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission had undoubtedly saved lives.
He said fire crews were now dedicating less time to actually fighting bushfires and more time to getting people to safety. He said better use of telephone warning systems and social media updates also ensured people stayed safe.
"We've changed the way we're responding we're not concentrating on putting out the fire, because we know we can't, but we instead focus on protecting vulnerable people," Mr Brown said.
The fact the fire occurred in a coastal region helped, as many people fled to beaches to escape the blaze.
WHEN it comes to attractions in Hobart, one venture stands out above the rest literally.
It was a tall order for Tasmania when the Federal Group proposed Australia's first casino be built on our shores, but luckily the vote in favour of Wrest Point narrowly won out .
Hospitality Association general manager Steve Old remarks that it's "scary" to imagine what Hobart would be like had the vote swung the other way.
The MONA of its day, Australia's first legal casino put Tasmania on the international map.
Since it opened in 1973, big entertainers, high-rolling gamblers, conferences and visitors from all walks of life have been drawn to Tasmania.
"Many years ago we didn't have Princes Wharf No. 1 or the Derwent Entertainment Centre," Mr Old said. "Wrest Point was the place to be."
Australia's first legal casino allowed owners the Farrell family to build a tourism empire taking in Cradle Mountain, Launceston, Strahan and Freycinet and to become the state's major private employer.
Federal's push to gain Australia's first casino licence began in the 1960s. A motivation for seeking the licence was a problem that still plagues many Tasmania's tourism operators the long, quiet "off-season".
Federal Hotels, now the Federal Group, reasoned that a casino would be the catalyst to attract more visitors and invigorate infrastructure Tasmania lacked.
On February 10, 1973, Australia's first legal casino opened its doors.
Staff had trained for a month ahead of the grand opening, a process that culminated in a full staff dress rehearsal staged in the brand-new tower that had changed the city's skyline.
It was one of biggest nights in Hobart's modern social history.
The evening featured one of the largest fireworks displays the city had seen, a bevy of bigwigs and celebrities including opening act Jerry Lewis. All the excitement was televised nationally.
But it was almost the night that never happened.
In 1969, Premier Eric Reece announced a statewide referendum to establish whether Tasmanians wanted a casino.
The results came back narrowly in favour of Federal Hotels' proposal.
Federal Group general manager Greg D. Farrell said the company was thrilled to be celebrating Wrest Point's 40th birthday in 2013.
"When Wrest Point opened in 1973, it provided a central point for tourism and entertainment in Hobart and was a highlight experience for many people visiting the state," he said.
"Forty years later we believe Wrest Point still holds its own as a premium provider of accommodation, entertainment, hospitality and conference experiences, as well as the boutique casino for which the property was initially so well-known."
Mr Old said the Farrells were great supporters of Tasmania.
"They could have left Tasmania and sold up, but they haven't. They're very loyal to the state," he said.
The first building on the Sandy Bay site was a home built in 1808 by Norfolk Island settler Thomas Chaffey. Chaffey's son William built an inn there in 1839, the beginning of the site's long association with hospitality.
Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs of the Stiff Gins.
THE tiny town of Cygnet will come alive today as thousands of music fans roll in for the 31st annual Cygnet Folk Festival.
More than 110 acts are set to perform during the weekend of the festival, a timely distraction for Tasmanians left tired and traumatised by bushfires this week.
Festival artistic director Erin Collins is expecting record crowds in excess of 6000, with pre-sale tickets well up on last year and commercial accommodation booked out months ago, although some campsites are still available.
"We're hoping that people will want a little break from all the dramas that have been going on and will come down and enjoy themselves," she said.
This year's program has a strong indigenous element, with highlights to include performances by "the voice of the Australian desert", multilingual singer and guitarist Frank Yamma, and the female duo Stiff Gins (Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs).
Festival organisers have also joined the fundraising effort to support people affected by the bushfires.
Patrons will be able to make contributions at several concerts, and musicians have donated items for a music lovers' raffle.
Money raised at tomorrow night's Festival Cabaret concert at Carmel Hall was originally to be donated to the Mines Victims and Clearance Trust but the trust has asked that the money go to bushfire victims instead.
kane.young@news.com.au
WHEN it comes to attractions in Hobart, one venture stands out above the rest literally.
It was a tall order for Tasmania when the Federal Group proposed Australia's first casino be built on our shores, but luckily the vote in favour of Wrest Point narrowly won out .
Hospitality Association general manager Steve Old remarks that it's "scary" to imagine what Hobart would be like had the vote swung the other way.
The MONA of its day, Australia's first legal casino put Tasmania on the international map.
Since it opened in 1973, big entertainers, high-rolling gamblers, conferences and visitors from all walks of life have been drawn to Tasmania.
"Many years ago we didn't have Princes Wharf No. 1 or the Derwent Entertainment Centre," Mr Old said. "Wrest Point was the place to be."
Australia's first legal casino allowed owners the Farrell family to build a tourism empire taking in Cradle Mountain, Launceston, Strahan and Freycinet and to become the state's major private employer.
Federal's push to gain Australia's first casino licence began in the 1960s. A motivation for seeking the licence was a problem that still plagues many Tasmania's tourism operators the long, quiet "off-season".
Federal Hotels, now the Federal Group, reasoned that a casino would be the catalyst to attract more visitors and invigorate infrastructure Tasmania lacked.
On February 10, 1973, Australia's first legal casino opened its doors.
Staff had trained for a month ahead of the grand opening, a process that culminated in a full staff dress rehearsal staged in the brand-new tower that had changed the city's skyline.
It was one of biggest nights in Hobart's modern social history.
The evening featured one of the largest fireworks displays the city had seen, a bevy of bigwigs and celebrities including opening act Jerry Lewis. All the excitement was televised nationally.
But it was almost the night that never happened.
In 1969, Premier Eric Reece announced a statewide referendum to establish whether Tasmanians wanted a casino.
The results came back narrowly in favour of Federal Hotels' proposal.
Federal Group general manager Greg D. Farrell said the company was thrilled to be celebrating Wrest Point's 40th birthday in 2013.
"When Wrest Point opened in 1973, it provided a central point for tourism and entertainment in Hobart and was a highlight experience for many people visiting the state," he said.
"Forty years later we believe Wrest Point still holds its own as a premium provider of accommodation, entertainment, hospitality and conference experiences, as well as the boutique casino for which the property was initially so well-known."
Mr Old said the Farrells were great supporters of Tasmania.
"They could have left Tasmania and sold up, but they haven't. They're very loyal to the state," he said.
The first building on the Sandy Bay site was a home built in 1808 by Norfolk Island settler Thomas Chaffey. Chaffey's son William built an inn there in 1839, the beginning of the site's long association with hospitality.
