Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tourism in Northern Tasmania is booming. For the year to March, over 700,000 people were reported to have visited the north, up two per cent on the previous year. I may be biased, but, really, why wouldn't you want to visit? One day you could take a walk through the stunning natural beauty of the Cataract Gorge and then enjoy some incredible wine on the Tamar Valley Wine Route and the next day enjoy a dip in the ocean at Bridport and be on the world-class Blue Derby mountain bike trails by the afternoon.

Launceston's Cataract Gorge this year hosted over 800 tourism finalists in the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards. To have the prestigious national awards held in a regional city—only the second time it has happened—was a huge coup for the city, led by Rick Marton, whose passion and dedication were crucial in securing the event. A showcase for the incredible food by local restaurants and chefs, including Massimo Mele from Grain of the Silos and Matt Adams from Timbre, naturally our food and wine offering was a highlight, but I was particularly taken by a story that made the event a truly community affair. Organisers realised there'd be a bit of a juggle for visitors eating a canape whilst holding a drink and shaking hands, and they called on the talented resources of Men's Sheds at Rocherlea and Ravenswood, who produced 600 handcrafted canape boards for the event. Well done to all of those who made this event such a success.

I am also extremely proud of our world-class mountain biking trails in Northern Tasmania. The town of Derby has flourished in recent years as it has become an internationally acclaimed mountain biking venue, twice hosting the Enduro World Series. The town has grown from strength to strength with the tourism boom. Some homegrown talent includes Tara and Steve Howell, with their award-winning Blue Derby Pods Ride. I commend the Morrison government's investment in regional tourism in Tasmania, including funding for a new Georgetown mountain bike trail.

The growth of our tourism offerings is because of the passion and drive of the hardworking people in hundreds of tourism businesses in the north, across accommodation, attractions, food and beverage operations and more. Credit also goes to Tourism Northern Tasmania and the Launceston and Tamar Valley Tourism Association for all the work that they do to support tourism businesses and initiatives in the region. Tasmania produces some of the finest cheese, chocolate, wine, whisky, honey, beef and lamb in the world. We have a growing number of whisky and gin distilleries, cider houses and microbreweries cropping up across Northern Tasmania. To that end, I invite colleagues from all sides of parliament to come and enjoy the highlight of the sitting calendar, Flavours of Tasmania, tomorrow night, 22 October. You won't be disappointed