Why Tasmania?
Buyers from the big island to our north account for a steady forty percent of Boat Sales Tasmania’s sales. In past years this meant that after a sale we were busy finding delivery skippers and organising trucks to transport vessels north across Bass Strait. Now that is all changing.
Walking around the marinas of Hobart, we see many of our “sold” boats occupying berths and out-of-State owners are flying down to the boat instead. Why the change? Let me count the reasons:
1. Cost - Take a look at the comparative cost of marina berths in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
2. Ease of access to berths, boatyards and labour.
3. World-beating cruising grounds with ample scenic, empty mostly anchorages, welcoming villages and convenient amenities. Ideal places to get familiar with a new boat or build skills before crossing Bass Strait.
4. Tasmanian festivals
5. Tasmanian food
6. Quiet pace of life. Return to a friendlier time and a relaxed attitude.
While marina berths are a scarce commodity in mainland cities and long waiting lists are a fact of life, they are readily available in Tasmania. Swing moorings are cheap to purchase and spaces are available in most areas. Haulout costs in other capital cities are typically $400 - $600. The cost to lift a 12m yacht in Hobart ranges from $294 in a private marina to as low as $70 for a member in a club-owned marina. And registering that 12m boat? It costs just $74 to register a boat of any size in Tasmania, while the same boat in Queensland will set the owner back $456 per year. Top quality tradies are available for every service and a shipwright will generally charge $69-$79 per hour. Try this in Sydney or Melbourne!
But costs and availability are not the whole story. From an uncrowded and affordable marina, it can be just a few minutes motoring to beautiful anchorages where you are often the only boat. And ashore you’ll find tiny villages with excellent (free) public jetties or tiny coves with no houses in sight. In Tasmanian waters you won’t be competing with dozens of other boaties when you drop a line over the side and a feed of flathead is virtually guaranteed. In many spots the oysters and mussels grow thick on the rocks and carrying a craypot aboard is usually rewarded with a delicious meal or two.
As Tasmania’s reputation for innovative art and food festivals grows, so mainlanders are realising the value of keeping a boat as their “shack” in Tassie. The Sydney-Hobart Race finish is complemented by the week-long “Taste of Tasmania” food and wine extravaganza held on the waterfront and the bi-annual Australian Wooden Boat Festival is one of the Southern Hemisphere’s great maritime spectacles. World-renowned MONA (Museum of New and Old Art) must be the only museum of its calibre where you can anchor right in front and dinghy ashore. Now MONA has inspired two associated festivals: MOFO and the mid-winter Dark MOFO. With a boat moored in the city, you can forget about hotel bookings. Soak up the atmosphere (in fact, be part of it) and walk to events. Further afield, the Cygnet Folk Festival every January attracts boats which anchor off this beautiful village to enjoy a weekend of wonderful music.
Wherever you explore, Tasmania offers unforgettable food experiences. Programmes like Masterchef and The Gourmet Farmer have put the island’s super-fresh and top quality produce in the national spotlight. Bruny Island, in the sheltered D’Entrecateaux Channel, can provide award-winning cheeses, fresh-from the sea oysters or the world’s best whiskies – all a stone’s throw from excellent anchorages. In every corner of the State, from urban Hobart to village farmer’s markets, some of the best food in Australia is easily available. Buy a bag of the best, crisp organic apples from a farm-gate roadside stall or dine in a gourmet restaurant. It’s all here. And often easily accessible from your boat.
With its isolation, natural beauty and abundant resources, it’s not surprising that Tasmanians are a pretty relaxed bunch with a real passion for the sea. As a visitor you will find an old-fashioned country welcome. Don’t be surprised if the bloke anchored next to you rows over to deliver a fish or offers you the keys to his ute to have a look around the place.
Tasmania is special place to sail and an easy place to own and keep a boat. No wonder more and more mainlanders are choosing to base their boats in these waters. And more locals are realising just how good we have it here. Sssshhhh …… don’t tell anyone!
Written by Kim Brewer
photo - 'Katrina III', a Carbineer 46 on the East Coast of Tasmania