TRAVEL WITH CHRIS BROWN

LAP OF TASSIE PART 1 – HOBART & EAST COAST PART 1: TOP GUN TASSIE Hobart was recently voted by ‘Lonely Planet’ as ‘Best in Travel’ for 2013, so our intrepid traveller, Chris Brown heads to Australia’s second oldest city to find out what it has to offer. But Tassie is fast becoming known as Australia’s next up and coming culinary destination, so the trip wouldn’t be complete without our chef extraordinaire, Miguel Maestre along for the ride! Together, the boys depart on a Tasmanian road trip beginning in Hobart, heading up the east coast, through the wild west and ending in the heart of the Apple Isle. To start their lap of Tassie, Chris and Miguel have an experience straight from the bucket list … a Top Gun flying experience where they both find out the meaning of G-Force! But it’s Miguel that comes off second best. PART 2: HOBART TO FREYCINET Chris and Miguel explore Hobart before heading to the stunning Freycinet National Park. While Chris ticks off his ‘to do’ list at Australia’s oldest brewery, Cascade, he puts Miguel in charge of the food and the car hire. But Chris gets more than he bargained for with Miguel’s Possum confit. It’s not the animal encounter he’d hoped for!

   

     

 

ABOUT TASMANIA

FAST FACTS:

• Tasmania is Australia’s smallest State. • It’s separated from Australia by the ‘Bass Strait’, which stretches for approximately

240 Kms from the south-east corner of mainland Australia. The next stop south is Antarctica, 2000 Km away.

• Over a third of the state is reserved in a network of National Parks and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, a refuge and habitat for rare plants and animals, including survivors of the ancient southern super continent, Gondwana. This area covers 1.38 million hectares.

• Tasmania has more than 2000 km of walking tracks and 18 national parks. • The state takes its name from Abel Tasman who first charted the island in 1642 and

originally named it Van Diemens Land. • Tasmania was originally home to one of Australia's most notoriously cruel convict

prisons, Port Arthur. • Western Tasmania's World Heritage Area is one of the last great unspoilt temperate

wilderness areas in the world. • A Huon pine tree in the south-west wilderness is estimated to be 4,000 years old,

making it the oldest living thing on earth. • Tassie is home to the Tasmanian devil, the largest carnivorous marsupial (dasyurid).

It used to be home to an even larger dasyurid, the Thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger.

HOBART ABOUT:

• Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania.

• Founded in 1804 as a penal colony, Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney, New South Wales.

• The skyline is dominated by Mount Wellington at 1,271 metres (4,170 ft) high. • In 2012, Hobart was praised for its arts, food and scenery by the travel giant Lonely

Planet, placing at number 7 for their "Best in Travel 2013" publication, and was the only Australian city to feature in the list. Lonely Planet had previously ranked the city as the 91st 'Best City in the World' in their publication "The Cities Book" in 2009.

• Visitors come to the city to explore its historic inner suburbs and nationally acclaimed restaurants and cafes, as well as its vibrant music and nightlife culture. Tourists also come to visit the massive weekly market in Salamanca Place, as well as to use the city as a base from which to explore

• The last 15–20 years has also seen Hobart's wine industry thrive as many vineyards have developed in countryside areas outside of the city.

   

     

 

TOP GUN AUSTRALIA ABOUT:

• Top Gun Australia Pty Ltd is owned and operated by a highly experienced former U.S. Fighter Pilot and flies from Hobart International Airport on a full time basis. (Other airports include Launceston, Devonport, and Wynyard).

• Top Gun is the only adventure flight company operating from a commercial airport in Australia.

PILOT TRAINING

• Top Gun Australia uses MILITARY TRAINNED FIGHTER PILOTS.

• This adds credibility, discipline, professionalism, and an undisputable proven past performance to all their flight packages.

DANIEL DUGGAN - CHIEF PILOT:

• Formerly a Major in the United States Marine Corps. He is a ‘Naval Aviator’ and has compiled several hundred carrier landings on seven different aircraft carriers, a third of them being at night.

• As a senior tactical instructor Dan held every tactical instructor qualification including Weapons and Tactics Instructor, Air Combat Tactics Instructor, Low Altitude Tactics Instructor, Night Tactics & Night Vision Goggle Instructor, and a Day/Night/NVG LSO (aircraft carrier landing instructor).

• Dan also holds a U.S. and Australian ATPL, Australian Grade III Flt Instructor, and Low Level Jet Aerobatic Display endorsements.

THE AIRCRAFT: The company specifically chose to fly the Jet Provost Mk5 and CJ6a Nanchang because they were designed tough as Military Trainers making them robust, reliable, and aerodynamically predictable. The Jet Provost has one of the safest track records of any military jet aircraft and it is for this reason that the RAF chose to operate the series for so long. The "Side by Side" seating arrangement allows the pilot to look after the passenger easily and adds to the pilot's overall situational awareness, adding to safety.

COSTS:

JET FIGHTER PILOT MISSIONS START FROM: Duration: 20 minutes. Price: $1,995 WAR BIRD MISSIONS START FROM: Duration: 35 minutes. Price: $595 EXPERIENCES INCLUDE:

• The flight experiences are generally half day events, (2 to 3 hours) • Each Mission will include a Military “Top Gun” Style Mission & Safety Brief

 

   

     

 

where your Military Trained FIGHTER PILOT will brief Safety Procedures, Aircraft Specifics, Flight Physiology & G Force Preparation, Detailed Maneuvers, and Tactical Combat Theory etc.

• Afterwards, the passenger will be suited up in genuine military flight and safety gear.

• The passenger and pilot will then board the aircraft.

For more information please visit the website: http://topgunaustralia.com/

TROTSKY TAKES TO THE ROAD Trotsky takes to the road is a mobile art project, with “Emmanuel” your fern-frond moustache wearing taxi driver taking you on jaunts around Hobart CBD with style, and a small piano accordion! “Emmanuel” is fictional, well-meaning, heartfelt character who has turned his 1967 Toyota Carona into a taxi in the quest for a way to make money, take ‘a little bit more magic’ to the streets of Hobart, and get to wear his fern-frond moustache in as many new locations as possible! FOR MORE INFORMATION: To get in contact with Catherine, please visit the website: http://www.pozible.com/index.php/archive/index/11830 Please note: You must book at least 24hours in advance, and leave contact details for Catherine to get in touch with you. Please refer any questions you may have about the site, or services, directly to Catherine at boo.theatre.i@gmail.com

CASCADE BREWERY CO. Cascade Brewery opened in 1832 in South Hobart, Tasmania, and is the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia. Cascade produces a range of beers, homebrew, apple cider and non-alcoholic beverages. The Cascade Logo (adopted in 1987) features H.C. Richter’s nineteenth century illustration of the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger. The brewery runs a range of tours including a Heritage

 

 

   

     

 

Tour, Beer and Food Matching, and the Brewery Tour. The Visitor’s Centre features function rooms, Pavilion, café, garden and store. Fore more information, visit the website at: http://www.cascadebreweryco.com.au/#

SIROCCO SOUTH – ‘TASSIE BUSH CONFIT’ (POSSUM PATE)

Sirocco South is a small, family-run business. Their aim is to choose the best Tasmanian ingredients and cook the old fashioned way, slowly and with a great deal of care. Mic Giuliani runs the business from his home in his spare time and has a Market stall at the Farm Gate Market held each Sunday in North Hobart. For more information about Sirocco South including a list of products, please visit their facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/notes/sirocco-south/sirocco-south-product-and-price-list-hand-made-in-tasmania-nothing-artificial/338805552833665

FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK ABOUT:

• Approximately 2.5hrs drive north of Hobart. • The Freycinet Peninsula has formed over 400 million years. • Many species of birds live in or stop over at Freycinet and the surrounding area.

Species include the white-bellied sea-eagle, eastern spinebill and yellow-throated, crescent or New Holland honeyeaters, and yellow-tailed black cockatoos.

• The area was reserved as a national park in 1916, making it (along with Mt Field) the oldest national park in Tasmania.

• Facilities in Coles Bay or on the Freycinet range from luxury accommodation and gourmet restaurants to wilderness camping and self-catering.

• On ANZAC Day 2003, Coles Bay became Australia’s first plastic bag free town, following an initiative of local bakery owner Ben Kearney, and Planet Ark, to protect the ecological integrity of the region.

COSTS: Entry fees are applicable to Freycinet National Park. Fees range from $24.00 per vehicle a day to yearly fees of $96.00 for an annual all parks vehicle pass. Camping fees also apply.

For more information please visit: http://www.wineglassbay.com/

 

   

     

 

WEBLINKS Top Gun Australia: http://topgunaustralia.com/ Cascade Brewery: http://www.cascadebreweryco.com.au Sirocco South: http://www.facebook.com/notes/sirocco-south/sirocco-south-product-and-price-list-hand-made-in-tasmania-nothing-artificial/338805552833665