Doin' it Langman style ...

SEAN Langman's affinity with the water started from the day he was born on a boat on Sydney Harbour.

Everything he has done since has revolved around the water -- work, sport and lifestyle.

Given that, it was an easy decision for the 50-year-old Sydney businessman and crack seaman to buy and rejuvenate the Kermandie Hotel and adjacent marina and create a home away from home -- or, in his words, his spiritual home.

That's where Langman retreated to this week after the madness and mayhem of his record-breaking run from Sydney to Hobart last weekend aboard a super-light, ultra-quick 60-foot trimaran.

You could hear a pin drop in the tranquillity of Kermandie, nestled on the Huon River, where Langman keeps some of his most prized possessions -- vintage, fully restored timber boats.

Some date back to the 1880s, such as his beloved Olive May, a 130-year-old workhorse now powered by an engine built to pump water on to the fires of the Blitz in London during World War II.

"They say she's had more oysters across her deck than any other boat in Tasmania," Langman said proudly.

The Olive May couldn't be further removed from Langman's speed machine, Team Australia, the French-built carbonfibre beast that is now the record-holder for the fastest trip by sail between the two capital cities, arriving in Hobart last Saturday in one day, five hours, 52 minutes and 23 seconds.

That was 13 hours, 29 minutes and 11 seconds faster than the previous official record held by supermaxi Wild Oats XI, set in this summer's Sydney-Hobart yacht race.

The record attempt was a thrill-a-minute, and though Langman had done the trip many times in the Sydney-Hobart, it delivered the most frightening moment in his 40 years of sailing.

Just after sunrise on Saturday, the trimaran did what he feared most -- buried its noses into an oncoming wave. Langman's heart was in his mouth.

"You're sailing so fast, and it's so different to what any monohull sailors are used to, you have to be always on your guard and be prepared," he said.

"On a boat that goes half the speed, you ease into a scenario, but things happen very quickly on a boat like this.

"We buried it down to the mast, and all the rudders came out of the water -- that got my attention somewhat.

"You never cleat the sails on these boats, you've always got them in your hand.

"So as soon as we nose-dived very hard, the boys blew the jib off and when we came up again all that would come out of my mouth was 'Thank you'."

Langman and his crew left Sydney at 11am last Friday and arrived in Hobart 29 hours later.

"It was a goal I wanted to achieve and it's only just starting to sink in," he said.

"I've had a few pinch-myself moments, and the most heartening thing is the support we've gotten by the idea of us going on a good old-fashioned adventure.

"There's been so much negative stuff in sport over the past year or so that people all round the world have contacted us with congratulations for making that trip in 29 hours."

Team Australia is so powerful that it hit a top speed of 40.1 knots and at times was fully airborne.

"It's as close to flight as you can get. It's an astonishing feeling," Langman said.

The noise onboard has to be experienced to be believed.

"It sounds literally like a machine gun going off," Langman said. "That's from the pellets of spray hitting the carbonfibre hull and beams."

There was no time for sleep and Langman only left the helm three times -- each time to go to the toilet -- and eating was ad hoc, but consisted of meatloaf sandwiches, pasta and one canned meal.

Each of the seven crew carried a knife so that in the event of a capsize they could cut their way through the safety net and get to the surface.

In December, Langman did the Sydney-Hobart onboard his 80-year-old sloop Maluka of Kermandie, which is still at his Kermandie marina.

Maluka, the oldest yacht ever to do the race, was the slowest competitor in the 68th Sydney-Hobart.

"I shared a watch with my daughter on Maluka and as we crossed Bass Strait we sat there and counted stars," Langman said. "This time [in Team Australia] we were watching the clock as we crossed Bass Strait.

"On the [radar] screen I could see Green Cape, and then in a blink there's Flinders Island. It was so quick it was astonishing."

This week Langman was happily back on dry land running his bar and tapas lounge Sass Restaurant at the Kermandie Hotel, and taking charters aboard Olive May.

"I call Tasmania my spiritual home because, not being born here, I'm told I'll never be local, but I'm part of the furniture," he said.

"My heart and soul have belonged to Tasmania for a long time, and to have people arrive each day to see the boat and offer their congratulations, it has been very humbling."

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Super trawler leaving Australia

THE super trawler Abel Tasman is to leave Australian waters without catching a fish.

After a massive community and political campaign against the ship, its Tasmanian operators have confirmed it has been sold, its Australian registration abandoned and the vessel is to depart within days.

The news was greeted with joy by fishing and environment groups, which waged a long campaign against the trawler on the grounds it could ravage local fish stocks.

Seafish Tasmania director Gerry Geen last night confirmed the ship would sail soon.

"This is a lost opportunity for Australia to create sustainable jobs and economic benefits from an undeveloped fish resource," Mr Geen said.

"The vessel will be leaving Australia in the near future."

He accused federal Environment Minister Tony Burke of waging a "non-scientific, populist campaign" against his company.

"This political interference to override the science-based fisheries quota system has made Australia a laughing stock internationally," Mr Geen said.

Formerly known as the FV Margiris, the 142m ship is the world's second-largest fishing vessel.

It has been a lightning rod for controversy since plans by Seafish Tasmania for the vessel to catch a quota of 18,000 tonnes of jack mackerel and redbait from waters stretching from southern Queensland to Western Australia.

An Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman yesterday confirmed the Abel Tasman had changed its registration and was "no longer an Australian registered vessel".

"We believe it is seeking Lithuanian registration," she said.

Stop The Trawler Alliance spokesman Nobby Clark welcomed the news.

"If it is heading back I'd be very happy to hear it," Mr Clark said.

"I won't be comfortable until it's back where it came from.

"I'm not against super trawlers, we just haven't got the data what fish are out there."

The ship has been berthed at Port Lincoln for months while controversy raged.

Last month after Seafish revealed a proposal to work with a flotilla of smaller fishing vessel, Mr Burke signed an interim declaration to prevent the Abel Tasman from operating as a freezing and processing vessel.

Mr Burke said the initial ban for 60 days would be assessed before a decision was made whether the ban should stay in place for two years while further scientific research was undertaken.

Legislation banning the super trawler from fishing in Australian waters for two years passed the Senate in September.

Yesterday, Mr Burke was not sad to see the vessel go, saying: "The message to everyone is clear -- this Government won't take risks with our ocean. And if the Liberals take charge it will be back by Christmas."

Seafish Tasmania is taking legal action against the Federal Government following the decision to ban the Abel Tasman from fishing in Australian waters.

david.killick@news.com.au

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Heat record on the brink

TASMANIA'S climate experts are in the grip of a meteorological nail-biter as they wait to see if Hobart has recorded its hottest summer ever.

The Bureau of Meteorology will know at 9am today if summer 2012-2013 will enter the history books as a record-breaking scorcher.

While Hobart recorded its hottest day ever on January 4 of 41.8C, the bureau has to wait until the end of the last day of summer to make a call on the season as a whole.

"It really has come down to the last 24 hours of the season," bureau climatologist Ian Barnes-Keoghan said yesterday as the temperature sat at a very cool 15C at noon in Tasmania's capital.

"We are sitting just on a record as we speak but we have to wait to see what happens during the rest of the day and overnight before we can call it.

"Whatever happens, we know it has been a hot, dry summer overall."

Hobart recorded nine days over 30C this summer.

Tasmanians got their first taste of autumn on Wednesday when the overnight temperature fell to 10.9C just after 5am.

Already firewood merchants are reporting early orders are coming in.

Mr Barnes-Keoghan said long-range forecasts indicated Tasmania would experience a cooler autumn than usual.

But more high temperatures later this week and next should gently ease Tasmanians into the cold reality that summer is now over.

The bureau has forecast temperatures of 23C for Saturday, 26C on Sunday, 29C on Monday and 30C on Tuesday.

Cooler temperatures are then forecast for the rest of the week.

"The system still has the ability to throw hot weather at us at this time of year," Mr Barnes-Keoghan said.

Recent rain has been welcomed by farmers and gardeners after a summer when Hobart received less than half its average January-February rainfall.

The average rainfall for Hobart from January 1 to the end of February is 88.1mm. This year less than 40mm fell in that time frame.

The period was the driest on record since 2002 when only 26.8 fell all summer.

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City braces for traffic snarls

Water taxi operators Rod Howard, left, and Darryn White are ready to help commuters affected by the bus drivers' strike today. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

THOUSANDS of Tasmanians are being forced to find alternative transport to work and school this morning as bus drivers go out on strike.

Commuters are being urged to leave earlier than usual to avoid being caught in congestion on major roads as people who normally catch buses drive their cars or ride bikes.

To help commuters, Hobart Water Taxis is putting on an extra boat today, and dozens more taxis will be on duty this morning. Hobart City Council has offered free parking at the Regatta Grounds.

Tasmania Police said unnecessary travel should be delayed.

Officers will patrol school areas to ensure there are no problems with the expected increase in traffic at drop-off zones.

Metro Tasmania said about 13,000 travellers would be affected, including 7500 school students, and anyone who normally caught the bus any time until 11am should make other plans.

"Becoming agitated isn't going to solve the problem. We will have highly visible patrols around schools. If people have to travel they should be very tolerant and more considerate than they would normally be," police southern traffic Sgt Penny Reardon said.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union confirmed another stopwork meeting on Tuesday from 6-8pm in Hobart and Launceston, with routes affected for an hour or more before that.

RACT spokesman Vince Taskunas said drivers should leave home 30 minutes earlier to stretch out the peak traffic period and car sharing and car-pooling to school would minimise problems in school zones. Non-essential travel should be delayed.

"Remember that even a minor crash on a key arterial road such as the Brooker Highway in Hobart or Westbury Rd in Launceston could cause significant traffic snarls, so giving extra attention to safe driving distances is essential," Mr Taskunas said.

He called for extra caution in school zones.

Metro chief executive officer Heather Haselgrove said she and the board would not budge on the offer of a pay rise of 2 per cent a year for three years.

But union Tasmanian secretary Samantha Simonetis said drivers had waited long enough and 3 per cent was only fair.

Ms Haselgrove said Metro could not afford the extra $585,000 over three years for the extra.

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Muirhead out of prison

CONVICTED child pornography offender Andy Muirhead has been released from prison after serving six months of a seven-month sentence.

The Mercury understands that Muirhead was released from the Hobart Reception Prison in late January after routine remissions cut one month from his jail term.

A spokesman for the state's Prisons Service would not discuss Muirhead's release, citing a policy not to comment on individual cases.

Muirhead was taken into custody in August last year.

The former ABC radio and television presenter pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to possessing and accessing child exploitation material after being caught with thousands of child pornography images he downloaded from the internet.

In October, Chief Justice Ewan Crawford sentenced Muirhead to three months in jail for the state possession offence to be followed by four months for the federal accessing offences.

Steve Fisher, from Beyond Abuse, said he was appalled to learn of Muirhead's early release, saying it did not send the right message to sex offenders.

"What reason could they possible give him to have a month off his sentence?" Mr Fisher said.

Muirhead claimed that working on the popular ABC Collectors program and as a Hobart breakfast radio host contributed to an "unacceptably high" level of stress and looking at child porn had helped him relax.

He was charged after Federal Police agents seized his personal computer on June 8, 2010.

Muirhead had originally pleaded not guilty but, after admitting his guilt, an expression of his remorse was read to the court.

"Words can't describe how embarrassed and ashamed I am," he said.

"What I did was shameful, reckless and stupid."

Muirhead will be subject to a $5000 good behaviour bond for the next three years and is also listed on the state's sex offender register for the next five years.

david.killick@news.com.au

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Cup joy for best in the state

YESTERDAY'S Launceston Cup triumph for Brighton-trained stayer Geegees Blackflash was one of the most memorable wins in recent years.

Geegees Blackflash ($7) powered to a two-length victory in yesterday's $225,000 Group Three AAMI Launceston Cup (2400m) at Mowbray, holding off a late challenge by Lucky Angel ($6.50), while Dream Pedlar ($41) ran third.

Race favourite Hurdy Gurdy Man ($3.60), winner of the Hobart Cup, bled from both nostrils during the race and retired from the running.

The stayer automatically incurs a three-month ban from racing.

Cup revellers on parade

Trained by John Luttrell, Geegees Blackflash was perfectly ridden by Victorian jockey Peter Mertens in yesterday's wet conditions.

Currently rated Tasmania's best racehorse, he had something to prove after finishing third in the Launceston Cup in 2011 and runner-up last year.

The win had the crowd cheering from all the stands when he raced past The Cleaner at the top of the straight.

Luttrell was confident his "best mate" could win the cup and was quick to thank owners Paul and Elizabeth Geard.

"They are great owners and they have stuck with me through thick and thin," Luttrell said.

"This horse is one of the best gallopers Tasmania has seen for some time and no one loves him as much as me.

"I thought he was over the line before the race and it didn't surprise me to see the way he won."

Mertens believes Geegees Blackflash would be very competitive at interstate level.

"He loved the conditions and when I went for him, he went straight by the opposition."

Tasmania's most prominent owners Paul and Elizabeth Geard were thrilled with the win.

"That tested our hearts," Elizabeth Geard said after the race.

"He has given us another huge thrill and no doubt has kept all of his fans across the country very happy."

Paul Geard was excited after the cup victory and surprised a few onlookers during post-race celebrations when he shouted the bar.

"We set him for the Launceston Cup and he's made us very proud," Geard said.

"He's a crowd favourite and we are proud Tasmanians who love to see the joy he brings to fellow Tasmanians."

Six-year-old Geegees Blackflash (Clangalang-La Quita) has now won 14 races, including the Tasmanian Derby (2010), Tasmanian Newmarket (2011), Hobart Cup (2012) and $791,000 in stakes.

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Funding row over tourism ads

THE State Government will provide no new funding for a tourism campaign to help stimulate towns devastated by bushfires.

Tourism Tasmania submitted a $750,000 proposal days after the January bushfires in a bid to lure tourists back to affected regions.

But it was knocked back, forcing the state's peak marketing body to find $250,000 in its budget to fund a new campaign.

The decision not to fund the proposal comes just weeks after the Premier and Tourism Minister praised the economic benefits of the industry at the Australian Tourism awards, where the state scored its best result.

It's a second blow for regional tourism, with the future of the Abt Railway still in doubt as officials race to find a new operator.

Tourism Minister Scott Bacon said post-bushfire support was knocked back because the Government had to weigh up spending on health, education and public safety.

But Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said the "Government needs to get its head into gear".

"If the minister doesn't appreciate that [funding for] tourism marketing is not taking away from front line services, then there's a problem," he said.

"Spending in tourism marketing increases the revenue in the state."

Mr Martin said the Government's failure to support the sector was in stark contrast to tourism funding provided by Victorian and Queensland governments in the wake of recent bushfires and cyclones.

"This is obviously a pretty bad reflection of how bad the state's finances actually are," he said.

Mr Martin said Tourism Tasmania had done a "fantastic job" with limited funds to develop the "Tassie Comeback Tour".

The two-month campaign encourages Tasmanians to holiday in bushfire-affected areas.

Tourism operators who star in the campaign were stumped by the Government's funding rejection.

Port Arthur Villas owner Wally Lyne said the move was "another nail in the coffin".

"The Government just fails to realise the importance of tourism and how much it puts into the state," Mr Lyne said.

Dunalley Hotel manager Bill Kidd features in the campaign.

"If Tourism Tasmania [wanted to allocate] that much money towards a campaign, I can't understand why the Government wouldn't try to grab that and help," he said.

hannah.martin@news.net.au

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Sandy Bay fire 'suspicious'

A fire crew at the Sycamore Close units in Regent St, Sandy Bay. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

AN overnight fire in a Sandy Bay unit is being treated as arson.

Police said the fire caused about $50,000 damage to the Sycamore Close unit at 39 Regent St.

It is believed the blaze followed a break-in at the property some time between 10pm yesterday and 8am today.

Neighbours called the fire brigade early this morning after noticing smoke coming from the unit.

The owner was not at home at the time.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Hugh's hopes dashed at Oscars

AUSTRALIA'S Hugh Jackman has missed out on the Best Actor Oscar.

As expected, Daniel Day-Lewis claimed the gold statuette for his performance as US president Abraham Lincoln in the Steven Spielberg-directed biopic, Lincoln.

It is the third Oscar of Day-Lewis' career, with wins in 1990 for My Left Foot and in 2008 for There Will Be Blood.

For the full list of winners, click here.

To visit the gallery, click here.

Bookmakers had Jackman, for his performance in Les Miserables, as the second favourite for Academy Award.

The other best actor nominees were Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Denzel Washington (Flight) and Joaquin Phoenix (The Master).

All five Aussie nominees -- Jackman, Naomi Watts (best actress), Jacki Weaver (supporting actress), Rick Findlater (make-up-hairstyling) and Dave Clayton (visual effects) -- left the 85th Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, empty-handed.

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Now it's full steam ahead

BACK ON TRACK: Husband and wife railway workers Kathryn and Tristan McMahon celebrate the announcement of the rescue package yesterday. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

THE race is on to find new operators for the West Coast Wilderness Railway in just nine weeks.

The Federal Government has promised $6 million to fix the infrastructure and the State Government said it would give up to $1.5 million a year for four years to underwrite the operation.

The pledges have been welcomed by the West Coast, but will come to nought without someone taking on the job, possibly a public-private partnership.

The Federal Group said it had made clear its April 30 deadline for pulling out of the Abt heritage railway.

Braddon MP Sid Sidebottom, who helped secure the funding he announced yesterday, said: "Now we need others to do their bit.

"We need the State Government and the tourism industry and tourism council," he said.

"They've had plenty to say, let's see what they can do now.

"People had already been negotiating their redundancies."

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said the rescue package was just in time and was generous.

"If we'd have lost those [expert staff] it would have been game over. Now we've got significant commitments," Mr Martin said.

He said the current model - of a single private operator - was rarely successful, and that many well-known trains, including Puffing Billy, had a government partnering with a not-for-profit community group.

"We have to look at all options, and we have to grow visitor numbers to the West Coast," he said.

Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said the railway had carried more than 400,000 passengers, created 33 direct jobs and injected $10 million a year into the West Coast economy and needed every chance to thrive.

Tasmanian counterpart David O'Byrne said the search was on for an operator.

"The private sector has a vital role in ensuring the railway has a long-term future," Mr O'Byrne said.

Tasrail said it would consider the partnership, but its present task of rebuilding the freight railway was too onerous.

The Tasmanian Association of Tourist Railways said this was the chance to secure a long-term vibrant tourist railway sector.

"It would be difficult for a volunteer organisation solely set up to run the West Coast Wilderness Railway," president Chris Martin said.

But he said once Tasrail fixed the main lines so that tourist railways could again use them, that would mean an attractive proposition for railway operators who could run more tourist services and build up a volunteer network. "This would be a fantastic opportunity."

He said it was hoped those lines would be available in two years.

Liberal leader Will Hodgman said the railway was too good to lose.

"Needless to say, if the Government had acted when they first knew about these problems ... a new operator could already have been secured by now," Mr Hodgman said.

michelle.paine@news.com.au

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Printer goes into receivership

MORE than 40 workers at the Moonah site of printer Geon face uncertainty in a new jobs blow for Tasmania.

Administrators and receivers have been appointed to the award-winning printer, which has several hundred employees in Australia and New Zealand.

It comes after last week's collapse of courier company Road Runners and the loss of Sensis jobs as Tasmania grapples with the nation's worst jobless rate, just over 7 per cent.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union Tasmanian secretary John Short said the printing industry in Australia, including Tasmania, had suffered badly in recent years.

"Obviously we are concerned about the workers' jobs, but we're optimistic. Hopefully it will be sold to a reputable company that has the long-term interests of the employees in the forefront of their minds," Mr Short said.

"They're a highly skilled workforce."

He said the union always had concerns if a private equity company was involved.

"Whoever buys the company we expect the new employee to abide by the present industrial agreements."

He said the environment had become very tough for printers. In the past few years Geon had lost contracts with Cadbury and Australia Post.

Andrew Fraser from McGrathNicol, which had been appointed receivers and managers, said they were working quickly to stabilise operations and assess its business units while running an accelerated sale process for the business and assets.

Mr Fraser said the receivers were liaising with employees, unions, customers and suppliers to minimise disruption.

The past week has been tough for Tasmanian jobs.

Courier and distribution company Road Runners was put into voluntary administration last week, putting 100 jobs at risk.

Tasmanian trucking magnate Chas Kelly bought the company and said he hoped to save 45 to 50 jobs.

michelle.paine@news.com.au

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Our lost history

ABORIGINAL HERITAGE TRAIL: Cape Grim

THE addition of a long stretch of the West Coast to the National Heritage List has delighted Tasmanian Aborigines because of its "indigenous values".

While environmental activists are dismayed more of the Tarkine area has not been listed, Aborigines are celebrating because one of their most treasured heritage areas is joining places such as the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney Harbour Bridge on the list.

They hope to rebuild some of the villages that once dotted the coastline and develop a tourist industry to help more people appreciate their history.

"We were stunned that the Federal Government acknowledged the true value of the area and recognised it as so valuable to the whole nation," said Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre legal director Michael Mansell.

"It is a great shot in the arm for Aboriginal people and our heritage. Finally someone other than us has recognised the fascination of our past."

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke said the indigenous values identified by the Heritage Council ran down a coastal strip from south of Marrawah to Granville Harbour.

The listed area was mostly only 2km wide but covered 22,000ha.

"The Western Tasmania Aboriginal Cultural Landscape will become the 98th place protected on the National Heritage List," Mr Burke said.

"Everybody I've spoken to, whether from industry, government or indigenous groups, have acknowledged the extraordinary importance of those sites.

"This is a little-known part of Australia's Aboriginal heritage and the listing will help tell it to the wider public."

Mr Mansell said the area used to be heavily populated. Some of the first Europeans along the West Coast wrote of meeting bands of up to 400 Aborigines.

They built dome-shaped huts, decorated with charcoal drawings on bark.

Often five or six huts were grouped together, each sleeping up to 40 people.

Archaeologists found evidence of villages almost 2000 years old.

Hut depressions showed the villages' scale, and shell middens hundreds of metres long and up to 80m high showed how indigenous Tasmanians had lived in the area since long before Christ.

Up the coast at Preminghana (Mt Cameron West), ancient rock engravings revealed the artistry of these people.

Mr Mansell said the next step was for Aborigines to be involved in the management of the area, as had successfully happened at Uluru in Central Australia.

Most of the strip is in the Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area managed by the Parks and Wildlife Service, which is doing a lot of work to manage public access so vehicles in the popular 4WD area stick to tracks and beach zones, and do not damage middens and other fragile sites.

"Ninety per cent of what the Parks and Wildlife Service have got in place would remain but we want to add an Aboriginal overlay," Mr Mansell said.

"With the help of the federal and state governments, we could have Aborigines on the spot with responsibility for bringing back to life our cultural heritage so people can relate to the story.

"You've got to have Aboriginal people there. Parks and Wildlife can't do that.

could make a difference.

"Before the Aboriginal involvement in (Uluru's) management, it was seen as just a rock, a natural attraction to be climbed and photographed."

With its Aboriginal heritage revealed it became Uluru, a deeply significant spiritual place in the nation's heart.

"We want to share the beauty of this history," Mr Mansell said. "The best way to preserve it is to make people value it.

"Tasmania still has its head in the sand about Aboriginal heritage. People outside Tasmania are more interested than many locals."

He said one of the first things the Aboriginal community would do was rebuild some huts.

Known sites included a village of nine huts at West Point (Nungu), eight at Rebecca Creek, seven at Pollys Bay north, one at Bluff Point, two at Couta Rocks, three at Ordnance Point, nine at Brooks Creek, three at Temma, seven at Gannet Point and one at Sundown Point (Laraturunawn).

Another big attraction would be the rock engravings.

"The only failing of the Federal Government listing is that it does not go far enough north to cover the rock engravings at Preminghana," Mr Mansell said.

"We want to take groups to Cape Grim (far North-West Tasmania), where Aboriginal men and women were massacred in the early colonial days. The VDL Company which owns the property is happy for us to lead groups (there).

"Then it would be south to the rock engravings at Preminghana and to some of the middens and huts."

philip.heyward@news.com.au

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Cruise control

ALL ABOARD: Cliff and Amy Senkbeil, of Sandy Bay, at Stewarts Bay before heading off on their Tasman Island Cruise. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

TASMANIANS are doing their bit to help communities hit hard by last month's bushfires by holidaying in their home state.

The Sunday Tasmanian and the Mercury have partnered with tourism authorities to help the Tasman region get back on its feet after the January 4 bushfires.

The fires that raged through the Dunalley and Forestier Peninsula areas caused the road to the Tasman Peninsula to be cut for more than a week.

In some cases tourism businesses lost all their bookings during what was meant to be their busiest period.

An estimated 20 per cent of Pennicott Wilderness Journeys' guests are Tasmanians, such as Sandy Bay couple Cliff and Amy Senkbeil.

The Senkbeils helped support the bushfire-affected region by taking a Tasman Island Cruise during a recent day spent on the peninsula to celebrate Mrs Senkbeil's birthday.

Cruise operator Rob Pennicott added Tasman Island Cruises to his Pennicott Wilderness Journeys venture five years ago.

Mr Pennicott said the peninsula boasted one of the biggest and best varieties of attractions of anywhere in Tasmania.

"The Tasman Peninsula is an absolutely beautiful place of diversity," he said.

"There's great walks, and the Port Arthur historic site has gone to a lot of trouble to get new quality products. There's definitely great places to eat, to stay and, from my selfish point of view, the beautiful cliffs, caves, blowholes and animals for us to show off."

Readers are encouraged to visit the Port Arthur & Tasman Tourism Association Facebook page and to "like" the Open For Business campaign to show their support for local operators doing it tough.

Readers are also encouraged to join the campaign by sharing pictures taken during their visit to the peninsula on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtags #tassiecalling and #openforbusiness

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