Tasmania’s historic town of Oatlands has a wonderful problem of its own making – there is too much to see, according to a growing number of visitors on the Heartlands journey drive between Launceston and Hobart.
Reflecting a thirst by tourists in central Tasmania to take the road less travelled and detour off the highway, many are finding their planned quick stopover inadequate, and they have to go scurrying around for accommodation which is hard to find.
There’s some lovely bed-and-breakfast establishments, self-contained and heritage cottage accommodation, extremely popular RV camping on the edge of Lake Dulverton, a couple of farm stays and what was once a bustling maternity hospital in the 1900s, Raffah House, is a restored heritage home that offers stylish refuge. But it’s not enough, especially in summer, and the town is looking forward to the day that a recently council-approved 4.5-star boutique hotel on the Esplanade opens its doors. The main reason for the influx is that Oatlands businesses have been working hard, steering their own ship and unifying their approach to marketing the many treasures in their town.
An example is the innovative Oatlands Key project that makes exploring the beautiful old sandstone buildings easier and more immersive without requiring more manpower. For the past four years visitors have been able to pick up an electronic key fob to give access to the Oatlands Supreme Courthouse, Oatlands Gaoler’s Residence and the Oatlands Commissariat between 9am-5pm, seven days a week.
They also receive a map, town guide with photos of the heritage buildings and interpretations and people of all ages and interests are loving it – from those who are into wallpaper restoration and convict architecture to genealogy and stonework. This self-guided tour has proven popular and it’s not unusual for every key to be out and in use.
At a recent meeting of the Southern Regional Visitor Information Network Group at Oatlands it was all good news when it came to visitor numbers and the increasing average length of stay and average visitor spend. Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre manager Aditya Munshi, who participated in the meeting, said that even the smallest towns and most remote areas can stand out with quality over quantity, and confirmed that Tasmania is diving headlong into the luxury market due to demand for high-end accommodation and experiences.
“Whether it’s a few nights at Sapphire on the East Coast, chartering a luxury yacht or taking a luxury tour that might cost $9000 for four days – there are people with the income, especially retirees, who see Tasmania as a niche destination and they want the best of everything,” he said.
“We still battle to convince visitors that they can’t see the whole island in a couple of days, so we encourage them to focus on one area and come back another time and see another part.
“When visitors are looking for a day trip that takes in things like history, whiskey, antiques, art and agriculture-the Midlands is a welcome suggestion.”
Mr Munshi said that as the biggest information centre in the state, the Hobart Visitor Centres sees its role as fortifying the whole industry and playing a pivotal role in bringing all visitor centre operators together.
“We all went through the pandemic together and we are now working together on building up business once again,” he said.
Nova Miller represents Middle Tasmania, a private enterprise based in the main street of Oatlands providing expertise in promotion, tourism, event management and business support.
It incorporates the Business and Information Centre, part of the Visitor Information Network with Midlands Taxation and a retail showcase. By working with Southern and Northern Midlands councils and organisations such as Visit Northern Tasmania, Destination Southern Tasmania, Brand Tasmania and the Van Diemen Project, Middle Tasmania is helping showcase the people, landscapes, history and heritage sites of the region.
Mrs Miller said Oatlands is increasingly becoming not only a destination for those visiting the state, but a drawcard for visitors travelling from Hobart and Launceston, exploring the many diverse experiences there are in the towns and villages off the Midlands Highway.
“We have a first class hospital, an amazing new aquatic centre and a growing number of retail ventures and now we really need to drive events, forge new business partnerships and explore ways to enrich the visitor experience,” she said.
Earlier this year Mrs Miller held an information evening for local business operators to ask them what they needed to help them grow. Utilising federal government grants, three months’ worth of workshops have now been booked and will be presented by the Van Diemen Project team, with special guest presenters. Following February’s session on staff employment, the March session will be about visitor experience training. Similar initiatives are being planned for the Northern Midlands in coming months and information can be found on the Middle Tasmania website.
On the itinerary of most visitors to Oatlands are Callington Mill whiskey distillery, The Imbibers for wine and cheese, Vintage on High for coffee and cake, An Artistic Affair gallery and craft shop, the Jardin Room and Provincial Interiors for unique French style provincial furniture and antiques, Oatlands Pancakes and Crepes for an indulgent snack and the Lucky Ewe Wool emporium which specialises in small batch, hand-dyed yarn and fleece.
The Oatlands Club Bistro serves meals Tuesday to Saturday evening and is a favourite with locals and RV visitors alike. Art, antiques and stunning heritage landscapes are everywhere. In the AiRSpace artist in residence program at the old gaoler’s building, Veronica Caven Aldous, from Melbourne, has captured Oatlands in her mixed media artwork with her 16 relatives from Ireland, Scotland and Sweden who lived in the 1800s in Australia, in mind. One element of her work is using light to set up colour fields in space, and the way she has illuminated from within some of the Oatlands buildings has been providing a glowing show after dark.
Like most towns along the Heritage Highway, Oatlands is proving that gloomy predictions for bypassed towns were incorrect as they take advantage of the isolation and highlight advantages.
In December stage one of Visit Tasmania’s tourism project “Reassign” was launched at Brickendon Estate in the Northern Midlands near Longford as part of the Australian Government’s Recovery for Regional Tourism program. The project aims to create contemporary experiences for visitors of historical world heritage sites such as Clarendon House, Clarendon Arms, Glover Country and Woolmers Estate, as well as Brickendon.
Tourists interact via a QR code at which point they are given access to several multimedia items about the location which ranges from drone footage to a podcast. Stage two is expected to be launched in coming weeks.
“We really seem to be hitting our stride, with a mass of forward-thinking people and a real sense of collaboration,” Mrs Miller said. “Right along the Midland Highway towns are exploring ways to value-add to the traditional visitor experience and that is a business plan that will benefit everyone in the region.”